Not in a Day
by EstaJay
Summary: Various Arc-V stories ranging from one-shots to AUs that may or may not include crossovers. Chapter 11 Summary: Manga!verse AU. Yuzu was five when she first met the Sakaki boys or… boy, depending how you look at it.
1. The Start of a Friendship

Not in a Day

Summary: Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a friendship. From an intruder to an acquaintance to a friend, this is how the odd friendship of Yuuri and Dennis was made, starting with a broken door and a bruised neck.

{~~~}

The Ra Yellow Dorms were a definite upgrade from the Slifer Shanties that Dennis had unfortunately called 'home' for the past year and a half. Sure it had been his dad's old dorm but any traces of the past students had been swept away during the Academia's 'reconstruction'. The only thing that remained the same was the classism and quality gap between dorms.

It had been a hard and laborious six months, cramming for advancement exams and getting on the good sides of the teachers while on the bad sides of his fellow students, but it had all been worth it.

He actually had a room all to himself, twice the size of his old space with none of the snoring roommates.

Then there was a crash at the door.

Dennis barely had the chance to look up when he was slammed up against the wall with a hand around his neck.

"Who are you?" The intruder questioned in an oddly polite tone. "More importantly though, why are you in this room?"

Dennis hesitated. Toxic purple eyes glared and the grip around his throat tightened.

"D-De-Den-ns Mc-fld." He choked. How was he supposed to give a proper answer when his captor was cutting off his air supply? "Th-this…my…nw…room-"

The hand abruptly released him. Dennis crumpled onto the ground, gasping for air. Was this the new 'dangers and challenges' the counselors had warned him about? Maybe he should have stayed under those rotting roofs and creaking beds, at least there weren't any random intruders and steel hold grips.

The intruder had already turned his (her? Their? Dennis' vision was too splotching to tell) back to him and was dusting off his hands.

"My apologies. I was not aware that this place was now…occupied." The intruder said. "I will take my leave and have your door replaced."

When Dennis had gotten back on his feet, the intruder was long gone. The newly promoted student was once again alone in his new room...

…now with a crooked door and broken lock.

{~~~}

His door had been replaced by the time he had returned from class the next day and there had been no more invasions since.

Dennis would have thought the incident was some sort of hazing set up by the senior yellows if he hadn't found the intruder snoozing on his doorstep several weeks later.

Unwilling to find himself in another steep grip, Dennis tried to sneak around the sleeping figure but found himself once again facing deadly purple.

Purple Eyes (because Dennis had no idea what his/her/their name was and he/she/they couldn't be called an intruder when he/she/they weren't intruding on anything) snapped awake and hoisted up like a soldier called to attention.

"Once again, I apologize." Purple Eyes stated. "We should never meet again Dens Mcfled."

And Purple Eyes marched away before Dennis could correct his name or even learn the other's.

Or tell him he left a sock behind.

{~~~}

Contrary to Purple Eyes parting words, Dennis did meet him again but this time it was him who was intruding.

It was on the way to class, a simple somersault over an old oak as he did every day, his hands slipped on something hidden among the braches. Losing his balance, the wannabe acrobat tumbled through the shrubbery and down a surprising steep hill. Dennis rolled off the hill and over a barbed fence (since when was that there?) before finally landed on something soft and boney…

Or rather someone.

"Fancy seeing you here." A familiar voice muttered beneath him.

Dennis jumped up… only to slip on something and land right back onto Purple Eyes (because who else could remain polite after being crushed by fifty something kilos of idiot teenager twice). He moved to get up again but was stopped by a gloved hand (had Purple Eyes always been wearing gloves?).

"Try that again and you will land right back on me." Purple Eyes pulled something out from underneath them before kicking Dennis off into a tree.

"Was that really necessary?" the battered yellow grumbled as he pulled himself up. There were definitely going to be bruises tomorrow morning and the ones on his neck had yet to fade.

Purple Eyes stood up as he donned the tripping material, a red… cape? "You fell on me…twice. That was retribution." Well, at least he was honest.

"Are you a Silfer?" Dennis was certain he knew everyone in the dorm, his promotion was only a couple of months ago and there weren't any transfer or exchange students.

Purple Eyes scowled. "I am not one of those low ranking slackers. I am a–" His eyes widened and he jumped at Dennis, knocking him back into the tree.

"Hey! Wha–"

 _BOOM_

Dennis watched with wide eyes as a missile from who-knows-where exploded just metres away, where they had been formerly standing.

"Th-that was a missile." Dennis stammered. "And it was aimed at you?!"

"Yes." Purple Eyes answered curtly, pushing the shell-shocked student in the opposite direction of the newly formed crater. "And you should be leaving."

"So should you!"

"I must stay. This is my duty to the Academia."

"As human target practice for explosives?!" Dennis rooted his feet into the ground. Grabbing Purple Eyes, he took the lead. "Which way is the exit?"

"…Turn left at the next rock and the fence should be up ahead." Purple Eyes shook off Dennis' grip and turned around.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"To fulfill my duty."

"And get blown to bits? You're coming with me." Dennis grabbed Purple Eyes' shoulder only to be flung forward onto the ground.

"My place is here and yours is out there. I will not go with you, McFled."

"Macfield. It's Dennis Macfield." Dennis corrected, wincing slightly as he got up. That was the …what?-fifth time he got slammed into something today. "And why use a living breathing _human_ for target practice? What about a droid or something? There are tons of those roaming the grounds and most don't do anything."

Purple Eyes snarled. "It is not practice for the launchers, it is practice for me. Now leave, it would be an inconvenience to have an idiot's blood on my hands."

Purple Eyes had to be brainwashed or something. What sane person would willingly stay? But then again, Purple Eyes seemed adapt to the surroundings and pretty strong size, flinging someone a good head taller to the ground (why was he only noticing the height difference now?).

"Okay, I'll leave." Dennis conceded. There was no point arguing any longer. "But get out of here alive. Send me a postcard, jump through a window, just do something."

"…Fine."

{~~~}

Sure Dennis had told Purple Eyes to jump through a window for a visit but he didn't mean it literally. Yet for some reason, it wasn't unexpected.

"Seven points."

Purple Eyes shot him a confused look. "What?"

Dennis smirked. "Seven points. I would have given you a nine but you just stood there after landing. No flare, nothing interesting to follow through. Not even a cue for applause. The audience could have gotten bored."

"Audience?" Purple Eyes questioned. "And only a nine at most for jumping through a two-story window?"

"There's always room for improvement." Dennis replied. "And of course Pro Dueling is all about being competitive, beat your opponent, become the next champion and what not… but have you ever considered the spectators? Sure Solid Vision brings the cards to life but what about the duelists? While their monsters are decking it out they're just standing there, arm up with no visual expression until they start yelling at each other. Bo-ring. But then Entertainment Dueling came along!" The yellow began twirling around the room, careful not to step on the shatter glass that littered the floor. "Duelists locked in battle! Storming the field, kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters! The greatest, most exhilarating and overall stupendous advancement of Duel Monsters! The Act–ah!" Dennis tripped over an extended boot and fell directly onto the glass covered floor.

Purple Eyes loomed over him with a stoic mask painted on. "You are make no sense whatsoever." His 'guest' deadpanned. "Pro Dueling? Entertainment? You are an idealistic fool, Crinkles. Duel Monsters is an art of combat, not some parlor trick to be performed to the masses."

Dennis stared at Purple Eyes, completely in shock. Where had this kid been hiding? Under a rock? A lab? A padded room? "You've never heard of Pro Dueling? What about the Kaiser? 'Thunder' Manjoume? Yugi Mutou, the original King of Games?!"

"No."

"B-but entertaining, having fun, has been part of Dueling since…forever! For crying out loud, it was originally a children's card game!"

"No. Duel Monsters is the modern incarnation of the Shadow Magic harnessed by the Ancient Egyptians millennia ago." Purple Eyes stated as if reciting a text book…or brainwashing commands. "Spirits and dead souls were imprisoned in stone tablets to serve in the legal court, _not_ for the amusement of children."

Dennis was completely lost for words. He slammed his hand onto the floor. "You're a…a…a hermit! An anti-social, missile-chasing hermit!"

"And you are an idiot covered in glass wounds waiting to be infected." Purple Eyes retorted smugly. Extending a hand to Dennis, the 'hermit' said, "I will prevent you from dying from these pathetic scrapes if you tell me more about this… 'dueltainment'."

"It's entertainment dueling but… that term could stick." Dennis took the outreached hand with his own that wasn't pierced with glass shards. "Why did you trip me in the first place?"

"Because you were acting like a clown…and you only gave me a seven."

"…I'm adding 'revenge-driven' and 'complete sadist' to the list."

{~~~}

The next time Dennis saw Purple Eyes was ironically during the _real_ hazing from the Ra Yellow seniors. Apparently, they wait for the new yellows (promoted, exchanged, transferred or just placed there from the get go) to get 'settled' into the dorms first then run them out to Red the moment their guard is down. At least is explained why the Slifer dorms were so overcrowded and most red seniors try to bypass the yellow dorm on the climb to blue.

The yellow seniors had finally shown themselves, locking Dennis out of his own room. It was either find the requested item or be kicked back down to Slifer. "But where am I going to find a human eyeball…" Dennis muttered as he wondered through the shrubbery.

He could always try killing a rabbit or something but Dennis hadn't seen any animals since he joined Academia and the difference would be obvious. Option number two was to raid the science classrooms for some dismembered parts but they wouldn't stock _human_ body parts…would they?

The trouble yellow soon to become red again if he didn't come up with something soon was so caught up in his woes that he tripped over something large and bulky and face planted into the ground.

"Wha…?" It was too soft to rock but it didn't feel like a log. Dennis slowly pushed himself up and turned to see he had fallen over a…

"Dead body?!" Ok, stay calm… Just breathe in and…scream your lungs out!

A cold hand clutched his shoulder, sending a shiver down his spine. "Can you keep it down, some corpses are trying to stay dead." A dismembered voice moaned.

Dennis yelped. "Zombie!"

The voice warped into a familiar chuckle. "No, but there will be if you keep yelling like that."

He turned to see none other than Purple Eyes manipulating the body like a string-less puppet. "It has been a while, has it not?"

"What was that for?" Dennis snarled. Why was he even still with this psycho? Purple Eyes was obviously the one who killed the guy the anti-social hermit-spy was happily toying with but he wasn't running in the opposite direction. Instead, he was trying a hold a mostly-civil partially-sane conversation.

"Because I wanted to give the idiom 'loud enough to wake the dead' a more literal meaning." Purple Eyes said while using the corpse's arms for semi-normal had gestures. "I have discovered that a good sense of humor makes for a successful entertainer."

"Yes…but your sense of humor is a little too… morbid to be entertaining."

"Oh well." Purple Eyes dropped the body, no longer finding it amusing (Dennis also wondered if he will end up like the body one day when Purple Eyes loses interest in him).

"Since you're here, you might as well assist me is disposing this body." Reaching into seemingly nowhere, Purple Eyes produced a pair of shovels, tossing one to Dennis.

"I have tools hidden throughout the campus." His acquainted 'friend' ('friendly' acquaintance? Frienquaintnace?) explained while digging the blade of the shovel into the ground.

Dennis followed Purple Eyes' example, idly wondering if it was one of these 'tools' were what caused him to tumble into the 'training grounds' several weeks ago. He made a mental note to no longer practice his acrobatics on random greenery, there was a high chance that it could be armed.

When the not-so-shallow grave was deemed deep enough, Purple Eyes kicked the body into the hole and started covering it in a large amount of white grains pulled from some bush or something followed by what smelled like lighting fluids.

"What are you doing?"

"Salting the body…" Purple Eyes lit a match from his coat pocket and tossed it into the pit. The body burst into flames. "…and burning it. This will prevent a vengeful spirit from anchoring itself to this realm."

Maybe his dad wasn't going crazy when he said he was haunted by his former teacher who apparently lived in their fat cat… but Dennis was going to need more proof before he was going to believe that his mother was a intersexual duel spirit who was fused with his dad's soul and not some random woman who left his old man when it was apparent he was a few cards short of a deck.

Dennis turned to leave, ready to forget about this particular encounter with the purple-eyed enigma, when something round and slippery was forced into his hand.

"Consider this payment for your labor." Purple Eyes whispered before disappearing into the night.

Dennis sincerely hoped that Purple Eyes somehow got wind of his dilemma and that this was the only time he was ever going to receive this kind of 'payment'.

At least he was staying in Ra Yellow.

{~~~}

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months and before he knew it, Dennis' freshman year was drawing to a close. There had not been a Purple Eyes sighting since the night of the hazing.

After one week, he began looking over at his window and door hoping for a certain someone to come tumbling through.

After two weeks, he began swinging from the trees again hoping to 'accidently' slip on a hidden weapon of some sort or fall into another testing ground.

After three weeks, he began carrying the sock that had been left behind from their second encounter hoping that his friend would locate him through the lost article of clothing.

After four weeks, he began thinking that 'Purple Eyes' was nothing more than a hallucination from his early days as a yellow desperately hoping he was wrong.

{~~~}

Purple Eyes' reintroduction into his life started like the very first: a crash through the door on an otherwise normal day.

Dennis looked up from his chapter summaries and exam revision to find Purple Eyes standing in his damaged doorway. He was overjoyed to see his old friend but made no physical display beyond a slight smile. Had it been earlier in the year, Dennis would have been more obvious with his emotions but his months as an official member of Ra Yellow had taught him to be more conservative, even among close friends (because, as much as he hated to admit it, Purple Eyes was the closest thing he had to a friend).

Thanks to this lack of action, Dennis noticed that there was something off. Ra Yellow emphasized on analysis and self-control (as well as spying, deception and interrogation), something that he excelled more in than the brash and impulsive actions of Slifer Red.

Purple Eyes normally stood firmly, with an air that demanded respect and fear, but now his stand was sloppy. His friend was hunch over, looking pathetic and weak. His clothes appeared several sized too big and his red target cape hung limply across his shoulders instead of fluttering in an invisible wind. The name sake eyes were no longer filled with sharp cunning but were instead dull and empty, reflecting a child who had seen too much too soon.

"H-hiyas, Dennis." There was no formality in that voice and his name was spoken for the first time. Red flags were beginning to rise. "L-long time n-no see-…"

Purple Eyes toppled forward and Dennis jumped out of his chair to catch his falling friend. Purple Eyes was burning up, heat radiated from the sweat covered body. What had happened in the past months?

"I-it's hot…v-very h-hot…" Purple Eyes muttered. "Cl-clothes…off…"

Alarms were going off in Dennis' head as Purple Eyes began to strip down. _Well, Purple Eyes is definitely a guy._ A dissociated part of his mind muttered as Dennis struggled to keep his friend decent. _And I'm confident in the way I swing._

When they had finally reached a non-verbal compromise for Purple Eyes to keep his underwear and a loose undershirt on instead of in his birthday suit, Purple Eyes began to snuggle into him.

"D-Dennis is cool." Purple Eyes mumbled into his blazer. "Very cool."

As Purple Eyes drifted into unconsciousness, which had probably been a while if the bags under his eyes were anything to go by, Dennis kicked off his shoes and carried the smaller boy into his bed. The student gave up any attempt to study as Purple Eyes' grip was too strong to be removed and settled for turning in early.

They'll sort thing out in the morning.

{~~~}

Dennis awoke to find Purple Eyes sitting on the edge of his bed, the sock that he had forgotten on their first meeting over his hand. Now that it had a solid form, it was obvious that it was supposed to be a sock puppet with a pair of faded black dots for eyes.

As Purple Eyes opened and closed his hand within the puppet, Dennis noted how familiar the action was. He had seen him do it before: while he used the corpse as a marionette, as he waited for an explanation for his window-jumping score, even back when he held him in a choke hold. That open-close hand motion was an ever present quirk, so why was he only noticing it now?

As if a veil had been lifted from his eyes, more observations, things that he should have noticed a long time ago, began flooding into his mind. Underneath his target cape, Purple Eyes wore a purple and blue waistcoat with a long tail that made it look like he was wearing two capes. Both pieces of clothing were in a crumpled pile at the foot of the bed, along with a pair of greyish blue boots. The gloves were apparently a one-time thing, they weren't present in his room or in his memories save for the missile incident. In addition to having purple eyes, his hair was also purple with a hint of fuchsia, the same shade the colored his stubby eyebrows.

Purple Eyes waited patiently as Dennis sorted through all this new information, toying with his puppet.

"A long time ago, I had a friend." Purple Eyes said once Dennis had pulled himself out of his thoughts. "We were very close, inseparable. We did not have much, only each other, but we were happy. Turned socks that were too large for us ever to grow in to into puppets." He smiled, looking down at his sock cover hand. Purple Eyes' face then scrunched up, trying very hard to remember the next part of his tale. "Something…happened. Someone pulled us apart. Made my friend disappear. Tried to make me forget. I… I can't remember my friend's face or name." He turned to Dennis. "I don't want the same thing to happen to you."

The atmosphere was too heavy, too solemn. Purple Eyes was mourning the loss of his dear friend.

"What happened last night?" Dennis asked. There was no need to rub salt in a re-opened wound. He could do nothing about it so he would leave it be.

Purple Eyes snapped out of his melancholy and his face twisted into a bastard of a scowl and a smug smile. "It was a bio-weapon that worked a little too well. It is supposed to make the recipient lose focus, make them unable to function coherently." His voice dropped and he muttered, "It was an aphrodisiac."

Dennis felt blood rushing to his cheeks. "So, last night you-"

"Yes." Purple Eyes shamefully responded. "I see our relationship as purely platonic but it is the only relationship I have with anyone. That substance twisted it into something that I never wished it to be." He looked Dennis directly in the eye. "But if I was…"

"If you were, I would've turned you down but still stayed your friend." Because something like that wasn't something you break a friendship for.

"But why would something like that be in your system?" Dennis asked. "I'm pretty sure that type of drug is illegal whether you agree to it or not."

"This is my duty to the Academia." Purple Eyes firmly stated.

"What are you, a lab rat?" Dennis meant it as a half-joke but he was met with silence. "Wait…you really are a lab rat?!"

"This is my duty to the Academia." His voice wasn't as solid but he still held conviction.

Dennis shuddered at the thought of what other experiments that Purple Eyes had to endure for the sake of 'duty'. If he had managed to strip in his hazy state last night, how many scars would Dennis have seen?

He took three deep breaths before continuing. "Why are you doing this? And I won't accept 'duty' as an answer."

Purple Eyes thought well and hard before responding. "I am to be the Academia's perfect soldier. Their hidden weapon with no chance of failing. I have survived when others have fallen. I am one of the key components of the Academia's final goal. I am F-YU37."

"That's not a name." Dennis protested. "That's a barcode number."

"I have nothing else to identify with." Purple Eyes face grew into a cheeky grin. "But maybe you can come up with something better."

{~~~}

Over the next few months, Dennis and Purple Eyes met on a weekly basis. Sometimes they dueled, with Purple Eyes wiping the floor with Dennis every time ("You should get a new deck. Those cards do not trust you, only tolerate." "I know, they were my dad's."), but most of the time they talked. Dennis would tell Purple Eyes about his classes and pop culture while Purple Eyes listened and absorbed information that he would never hear from anyone else (and sometimes he would tell his friend in the vaguest detail what happened behind closed doors). But every meeting, Dennis would come up with a new name.

"Sho?"

"No."

"What about Jun?"

"No."

"How does Ryo sound?"

"Terrible."

"Give Fubuki a try."

"That sounds like a fool's name. No."

"Try Hayato."

"Maybe…no."

"…Judai?"

"Can you come up with a name that does not belong to an alumni?"

Very soon, Dennis had exhausted all the appropriate names he could think of (he doubted that Purple Eyes would consider a name belonging to a girl) but he did not stop trying. He came up with more ridiculous names like Lawliet and Negius and at one point Tom Ato, all of which ended with the yellow being thrown into a wall.

Then the invasion of the Xyz Dimension happened and Purple Eyes was sent on dimension hopping missions across the universe (he usually came back with a girl that looked oddly familiar. Purple Eyes didn't talk at all when he came back with a girl, only played with his puppet).

Very soon, Dennis himself was preparing for his own interdimensional adventure. He was to infiltrate the Standard Dimension as a student of the LDS. He was to be a _Xyz_ student to prevent any connection to the Academia from being drawn immediately. The new deck he was given was one based around magicians and acrobats. While it could support fusions, the deck was mainly Xyz and it _clicked._ When he dueled with these black cards, a thrum of excitement filled his veins. It was a flow that he became a part of the moment he drew his first card. The tricks suited him better than the second-hand heroes and he actually was able to last a few more turns against Purple Eyes.

While studying Standard culture, Dennis was surprised to find the mysterious Sky Magician, pioneer of the Action Duel and his model, plastered on Standard magazines and tabloids. His real name was apparently Yusho Sasaki and he was married with one son…

Dennis dropped the picture in shock. It was a photo of the Sasaki family several years out of date but the resemblance between Yuya Sasaki and Purple Eyes was just plain disturbing. But it gave him a new idea for a name.

"Yuugo."

Purple Eyes gave him an odd look. "I like fusion, I use fusion but I will not be fusion."

"Fine then, Yuuri."

"Yuuri?"

"Yes, Yuuri."

Yuuri gave a small genuine smile, one with no hint of malice. His hand opened and closed within the sock puppet. "I like it."

{~~~}

 _I have a treasure is plain view, but you cannot see it. I can't show it to you but everyone can see it. Do you know what it is?_


	2. A Difference in Age

Not Quite the Same

Summary: AU Strong Ishijima accepts Yuya's challenge to duel in his father's place when Yusho fails to make an appearance. Just because their dimensional counterparts, doesn't mean that they have to be practically identical.

AU Explanation: There is no three year gap between Yusho's disappearance/Academia's attack on Heartland but everyone is the same age except Yuya's three years younger (11), Yuto and Ruri are three years older than Shun (making them about 19-21 given Shun is about 16-18) and Yuri and Serena (called Artemis after the male cat in Sailor Moon and the Grecian deity of hunting) are genderswaped.

{~~~}

The Action Field was activated. The crowd roared and cheered for what was to be the pinnacle of Action Duels. Pioneer and Champion of this new form of dueling, Sakaki Yusho, against the Sledgehammer of LDS, Strong Ishijima. It was a duel that promised to be filled with twists and turns, excitement and entertainment…

If Yusho Sakaki bothered to show up.

Yuya squirmed in his seat. His dad had never missed a duel before, especially one this important.

The audience was growing restless. Some started murmuring and these soon evolved into boos and jeers, calling the no-show a coward.

"Mom, Dad's going to make it, right?" Yuya said, fiddling with his pendulum. "He's just running a bit late. He'll be here any minute now."

"Yes, all we have to do is be patient and he'll arrive." Yoko replied, but it was more to reassure them both rather than the actual truth.

The presenter Nico Smiley wiped the sweat form his brow. "Well, since Sakaki Yusho is a no show, the winner of this duel due to forfeit is…"

"My Dad will be here!" Yuya cried, running to the edge of the stands. "We just need to wait a bit more and he'll be here."

"But it's almost been an hour…"

"Then duel me until he gets here!" the boy yelled.

The crowd burst into laughter.

"That kid against Ishijima?"

"He won't even last a turn against the Sledgehammer!"

"Proves how much of a coward that Yusho is. If he doesn't want to duel, he sends his brat in his place."

"Shut up all of you!" Yuya said. They didn't understand. His dad wasn't a coward and he'll prove it. "My dad taught me everything I know about dueling and I can beat Ishijima!"

There was an uproar of protest. A little boy barely out of elementary school defeating a Pro League duelist? Impossible.

Smiley was about to tell the boy that no, it wasn't possible that he could duel his father's opponent when Ishijima stopped him.

"Let the boy duel." The Sledgehammer said. "He has a burning spirit that will make up for his father's cowardice. The audience came for an entertaining duel, it's our job as entertainers to give them one."

"Yes…but–" Smiley sighed. Ishijima accepted the challenge so they might as well let the duel take place. At least they wouldn't have to deal with ticket refunds. "The challenge has been accepted!" he announced. "The duel between LDS's Sledgehammer and the Sakaki boy will now commence! Duelists locked in combat…"

Yuya leaped from the stands and onto the Action Field. He'll show the world his dad's Entertainment Dueling. "Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters! They storm through this field!"

Strong Ishijima prepared his duel disk. Though he admired the boy's determination, Sakaki's son had a snowball's chance in hell of winning. "Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!" He continued the chant. The duel would be quick but he will try to make it as entertaining as possible.

"ACTION…"

"DUEL!"

"I'll take the first move!" Yuya declared. He felt everyone's eyes turn on him, the pressure of being on stage. He felt stage fright creeping up on him. This was his very first public performance, his debut into the dueling world. What if he messed up? What if he couldn't do his dad's style justice?

The boy turned back to where he had been sitting. Big-Sis Yuzu looked just about ready to blow a fuse, the dreaded fan ready in her hand. Both Uncle Shuzo and Big-Bro Gongenzaka were on the brink of tears but there was an encouraging glint in three pairs of eyes. Ayu and Futoshi were cheering him on and his mom, despite looking worried, was ready to support him all the way.

He could do this.

"Let's get this show started! I summon my good buddy Performapal Hip Hippo and end my turn."

His loyal monster appeared and Yuya mounted him, dashing through the Action Field in search of the all-important Action Cards. Odd-Eyes Dragon glistened in his hand. If he played his cards right, he could win this duel with a one-turn-kill.

Like he had seen his dad do many times before, Yuya took a deep breath and proclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen! Prepare to swing into action because the real fun is just getting started!"

{~~~}

Yuzu gasped as the dark duelist discarded his mask.

Sure it was a little stupid, scrap that downright idiotic, to go charging into the warehouse all by herself but she had to stop Sawatari before he could hurt Yuya again. If that stuck-up idiot could justify stealing from a little kid, Yuzu didn't want to know what else he could be plotting.

She knew there was something familiar with the mysterious man when he intervened in her challenge. He may use Xyz monsters, act like that something was going to jump out of the shadows at any moment and dress like a post-apocalypse rebel but that could not shake the sense of familiarity away.

But now that Yuzu could see his face…

"Uncle Yusho?" Sawatari and his goons had long since fled, leaving her alone with a man who shared a scary resemblance to her disappeared pseudo-uncle.

The man didn't look exactly like the elder Sakaki before his disappearance, but rather the young man alongside a younger version of her father in the photo albums, back when action dueling was just starting out.

"You're not Ruri." Not-Yusho muttered, disappointed. "You're too young but you look so much alike…"

Before either of them could say anything more, the warehouse doors slammed open to reveal a puffing Yoko.

The man met Yoko's eyes.

"Yu-Yusho?!" Yoko exclaimed. She knew he wasn't her husband but the similarities were there but there was also the reminder of someone else.

"Mom?" The man whispered, eyes wide with disbelief. He opened his mouth to say more but then Yuzu's bracelet flashed and he was gone.

"Mom! Did you find Big-Sis?" A boyish voice yelled.

Little Yuya skidded into the warehouse with the rest of You Show Duel School hot on his heels.

The two women looked from the young boy to the place where the mysterious man once stood. While he did share similarities with a younger Yusho, he was almost identical to what an older Yuya would look like. A very broken, traumatized older Yuya.

{~~~}

Sakaki Yuya was eleven years old, nearly twelve considering his birthday was in several months' time. Therefore, he would take part in the Junior category of Maiami Championships. But as the pioneer of the pendulum summon, the boy would be an invaluable asset in the upcoming war, a potential member of the Lance Defense Soldiers despite his age. For a proper assessment he need Sakaki among the Junior Youths.

It took a lot to convince the board to allow the boy participate in the Junior Youth category but his stunning win against Strong Ishijima worked in his favor. If Sakaki could get his win rate to 60% against Junior Youth duelists, he would be allowed.

With Sakaki joining his list of possible Lancers, Akaba Reiji slightly frowned. He knew it was wrong to turn a child into a soldier but morals had to take second place in an interdimensional war. If his father could train deadly child duel soldiers, then so can he.

{~~~}

Yuto didn't know what to think when he met his Standard counterpart for the first time.

The little boy, Yusho he assumed based on Standard Ruri's outburst in the warehouse, had appeared chasing the Academia soldier. After the child soldier had teleported back to his own dimension, Yuto was left to deal with a very tiny version of himself.

Considering that Standard Ruri had called his "Uncle", Yuto had assumed that his Standard counterpart was as old as he was if not older. At the very least he expected a teenager about her age. What he wasn't expecting was a tomato-colored bundle of questions and too much energy. The kid couldn't have been out of elementary school and he was getting mixed a in an interdimensional war!

Yuto was never good with kids. Shun was an absolute terror when he was younger, throwing glares and whatever else the younger Kurosaki could get his hands on his way the moment Ruri declared him her boyfriend. All his attempts to dissuade his mini-me from getting involved with the Academia, that the grown-ups can handle it so he should just stay home a focus on entertainment dueling, fell on deaf ears and the kid just wouldn't stop jumping around!

They were soon interrupted by the fusion pawn crashing into a lamppost and challenging him to a duel. Yuto felt a hint of pity for the synchro teen, another young life destroyed by this damn war, but he was the enemy and he had to keep little Yusho safe. But the boy kept getting in the way and the teenager was too hotheaded to notice the kid in the path of his motorcycle.

Yuto wondered what higher power he angered to be cursed with two reckless brats for dimensional counterparts.

{~~~}

Yuzu was perfectly comfortable as a girl.

Artemis was perfectly comfortable as a boy.

That made meeting a gender-swapped interdimensional counterpart all the more awkward.

Yuzu knew that an older version of herself existed in Ruri, so why not a guy version? A guy version from fusion that wholeheartedly believed that every duelist was a soldier and that attacking the Xyz dimension was completely justified.

Convincing him to swap clothes with her took longer than it would have been if they were the same gender but they needed to get the Obelisk Force off his trail if Artemis were to meet Kurosaki. He needed to see what the Academia was really doing and not an idealized goal.

His uniform was too baggy in some places and her clothes were too tight in others but it would have to do.

It took a while for Yuzu to convince the fusion boy to get moving but by the time she is surrounded by the Obelisk Force, Artemis was back on his search for the Xyz remnants with a different goal in mind.

As she activates her duel disk, Yuzu idly wonders what a female version of Yuya would be like. She soon discovers that the answer is down-right terrifying.

{~~~}

Akaba Reiji had been expecting some protest from the Lancers' parents when he announced that he planned to take their children to another dimension to fight in a war.

What he wasn't expecting was for Sakaki Yoko to nearly run him over on her motorcycle.

"Give me one good reason why I should let you take my baby away from me Akaba." The former gang leader snarled, ramping the engine of her motorcycle up.

"Well, you see Mrs Sakaki…" Reiji adjusted his glasses and tried to look as collected as possible after being chased around an action field by an angry mother. "Yuya is the pioneer of pen-"

Reiji was cut off as he scrambled out of the way of Yoko's charge.

"Try again, punk!"

"It would be a valuable exp-" Screech. Jump. Dodge.

"Wrong answer!"

"He defeated three-" Move now!

"Yuya's not going anywhere!"

It took him a good three hours and a duel to convince Sakaki Yoko to let her son go. By the end of the ordeal he was covered in scrapes and bruises with a new respect for advance summoning.

If only he had mention Reira sooner.

{~~~}

"BIG SIS YUZU!" Yuya cried as he jumped into 'Yuzu's' arms at the end of the Battle Royale.

When he was on stage, Yuya was confident, silly, and goofy and all the other things a good entertainer should be. But then those two fighter guys tried to push him into lava and he had to make friends with Yuto's scary dragon only for the scarier Academia soldier guys and Sora with a creepy smile appeared then Yuto got _really_ angry and his pendulum made the scariest dragon ever then the flippy fortune lady told him that there was something very dark inside him and then he couldn't find Yuzu and the cooking guy and the fish guy got turned into cards and then he duel Sora over lava…

Overall, it was just too much for Yuya to handle for one day. He made new friends, he lost friends and his friends turned evil. Yuya was almost twelve and that made him a big boy but growing up doesn't mean that he had to give up cuddle time. All he wanted to do now is snuggle in Big Sis Yuzu's chest and forget all his worries…

But something was missing.

Yuya looked up into 'Yuzu's' eyes, which were green now instead of blue. "Where did your boobs go?" He asked.


	3. Heroes vs Hippos

Not Exactly the Enemy (but I'll hate them anyway)

Summary: The Lancers' interdimensional leap was botched and now they are at the Academia…from a couple decades ago. A rewrite of episode 4 of GX where Reiji messes with Cronos' plans.

The Lancers are at the GX era Academia. Is this the same Academia that will become their hated enemy or is it something different altogether? Yuya tries to change the Academia from the inside out while Shun refuses to let go of his rage. At a school where the only monsters coming from the extra deck are fusion, Reiji limits their summoning just in case things take a turn for the worst and that they have a secret weapon.

Yuya is in Osiris Red because he botched his written exam and got so caught up trying to entertain the crowd that he nearly lost his practical exam (but his audience was entertained so he's fine with that).

Dennis, Sawatari and Gongenzaka are in Ra Yellow.

Selena is automatically in Obelisk Blue because she's a girl (but she definitely has the skill to be in that dorm).

Due to his exceptional performance in the entrance exam (and because Reiji slipped about his attendance at a Pro League School before the war and he needs to keep a close eye on Shun so he doesn't do anything stupid) Shun gets placed in Obelisk Blue but refuses to wear the uniform or stay in the dorms.

(He could have done the same for Dennis and Sawatari but he suspects Dennis for being a spy so he's in Yellow with Gongenzaka and Sawatari keeping an eye on him.)

Reiji becomes a student teacher with Reira by his side.

Tsukikage is a ninja and is gathering information for Reiji.

For most the duels, I'll be using the TCG/OCG effects of cards (or based off them) instead on the anime ones.

{~~~}

Yuya laid on the bottom bunk of his room in the Osiris Red dorm. He had his goggles pulled over his eyes and pendulum swinging before him. The blue crystal swings from left to right, if it goes one way it's sure to come back the other.

He has no idea what to think of Duel Academia. It had the same rankings from the elite Obelisk Blue down to Osiris Red and Yuya had seen one of the teachers use Ancient Gears against a latecomer during the entrance exam. Everything about this school lined up with what he knew about their enemy from the Fusion dimension and all of the Lancers were ready to believe that they were somewhere in the Fusion dimension's past, before the Professor took over.

But there was something off about this place. It felt like they were still in Standard but not in the same time. Selena had said that this place felt like an odd mismatch between Fusion and Standard. She had stated that the Fusion Academia's goal was not to fuse the four dimensions but rather to _re-fuse_ them. That at one point there was only Standard and they could be at the point in time when the Fusion dimension broke away.

But what could have caused the split in the first place?

Someone banged at the bedframe, knocking Yuya out of his thoughts.

"Oi Sakaki! Stop trying to hypnotize yourself." His roommate said, Uchimura he thought his name was. "Today the day of the promotion exams. You'd better get up unless you want to stay in Red for the rest of your Academia years."

"Ah, thanks." Yuya said, slipping out of his bunk. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up later."

"Fine but don't blame me if you're late." And his roommate was gone.

This Academia wasn't too strict on uniform, with the only required clothing was the blazer color-coded to match the wearer's dorm and even then he had seen some other students make alterations to their uniform.

Yuya picked up his red blazer puts it on. It's actually quite warm and comfy if not a little big on the side. He examines himself in the mirror and…

 _Screams._

 _Fire._

 _Blood._

 _Golems. Golems everywhere._

 _Run and hide._

 _Don't let those monster find you._

 _Shun, Ruri, where are they?_

 _Duck behind the wall, stick to the shadows._

 _Don't let them find you._

" _Run, run, run little Xyz scum! We'll always find you."_

 _People fleeing in terror._

 _Cards falling._

 _Why were they so many cards everywhere?_

" _Found you!"_

 _A red blazer._

 _Duel disk raised and a sword appears._

 _Can't lose._

 _Summon Rebellion and-_

Yuya threw off the blazer and pulled up his goggles. He crumpled to the floor, panting.

Though he still didn't know what to think of this Academia, Yuto had already made up his mind. The Academia, no matter where or when it was, was still the Academia. They were the enemy. His dimensional counterpart had grown more violent ever since they had arrived in this dimension…time-period…wherever they were.

Still shaking, Yuya picked up the red blazer and hung it over his shoulders like he did with his white school jacket.

No reaction.

Yuya sighed with relief and collected his deck and Academia-issued duel disk. Even though Akaba Reiji had forbidden any sort of extra deck summoning other than Fusion, Yuya was still able to use his own deck. He had only been using Pendulums for a couple of months so switching back to his old strategy of Advance summoning wasn't that hard compared to Dennis and Kurosaki, whose decks focused on Xyz summoning and had to build a new deck from scratch. (Well, Dennis did. He wasn't as sure about Kurosaki.) Plus, he also knew how to Fusion summon so that-

Yuya's chest pulsed. Right, Yuto didn't like Fusion summoning.

(And Yuto can go stuff himself because this is _his_ body and _his_ cards and he won't let a moody spirit he could barely communicate with give him chest pains whenever he thought about using Fusion.)

He took a deep breath and put on his best smile. He'll show this Academia his Entertainment dueling and make them all smile…after the written exam.

{~~~}

"Eh?! Why am I dueling Manjoume?"

Professor Cronos chuckled to himself. Today was the day that he finally rid himself of that damn dropout boy Yuki Judai.

His plan was simple and foolproof. Purchase all the new rare cards and give them to the rising star of Obelisk Blue, Manjoume Jun and have him defeat the slacker during the practical promotion exam. With Yuki's sure to be awful written exam results, he was sure to be expelled.

"Considering your outstanding results in the entrance exam, it would be unfair to match you up against anyone else in Osiris Red." Cronos explained. "So it was decided that Signore Manjoume would be a much suitable opponent. If you win you'll be promoted to Ra Yellow. How does that deal sound?"

"I don't think that would be possible Professor Cronos."

The two students and teacher turned to see a tall grey-haired man wearing a red scarf with a small boy by his side.

Cronos scowled. "Signore Akaba, what brings you here?" Though he had few encounters with the new student teacher, something…off about Akaba Reiji, as if he didn't belong.

Akaba revealed a set of papers. "I was reviewing the match ups for the practical exams when I noticed that not only was a Osiris Red matched against an Obelisk Blue, two students were excluded from the list altogether: Sakaki Yuya of Osiris and Kurosaki Shun of Obelisk. As you are the one in-charge of organizing the schedule, may I ask why this is the case?"

Cronos once again scowled and cursed Akaba for his perceptiveness. "Signore Sakaki was the lowest scoring student based the entrance exams, both written and practical, and has barely improved since entering, losing every other duel. That boy and his dancing hippos stands no chance in the competitive society of Duel Academia. On the other hand, Signore Kurosaki is nothing more than a name on the roster. He has failed to show up to any of his classes and hasn't even registered at the dorms."

"But both took part in the written portion of the promotion exam and need opponents for the practical." Akaba said, adjusting his glasses. "I suggest we have Yuki duel Sakaki and Manjoume duel Kurosaki, unless you want two sets of inter-dorm duels."

As much as Cronos hated to admit it, Akaba had a point. While he could justify placing Yuki against Manjoume, he could not with Sakaki and Kurosaki. He would have preferred the two inter-dorm duels, knocking out two dropouts with one exam, but there was no way that could be possible.

"Fine then, let the dropouts duel." Cronos scowled as he stormed out of the gymnasium. He would have to find another way to get rid of Yuki Judai.

{~~~}

Judai smiled at his tomato-haired opponent, another Osiris like himself. Though it would have been interesting to duel Manjoume, he had a feeling that there was something else going on besides trying to find an even match.

Judai activated his duel disk. "So, Yuya are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Yuya grinned, activating his own duel disk. "Let have a duel that the audience will enjoy!"

"DUEL!"

Judai LP: 4000

Yuya LP: 4000

"I'll take the first turn. Draw!" Judai declared drawing a card from his deck. _Winged Kuriboh_. "It's good you've come to see the show, partner."

"I summon _Elemental Hero Clayman_ in defense mode!"

A large clay golem appeared before its duelist, kneeling in defense.

DEF: 2000

"And I'll end my turn there! Your move, Yuya!"

"You've set up a solid defense. Let's see if I can overcome it, draw!" Yuya looked down at his hand and mentally sighed. _'Who needs new cards when you have your interdimensional counterpart adding cards to your deck for you?'_ Well, his deck was already rebuilding itself, so what's another spirit going to change?

"First up, I'll activate the spell _Performapal Recasting!"_ A large red tarp appeared behind Yuya with spotlights on it. "For every _Performapal_ I reveal, I can shuffle it into my deck and draw the same amount plus one. I reveal _Performapal Elephammer!"_ A large blue elephant with a mallet-shaped trunk appeared and disappeared behind the tarp along with the tarp itself as Yuya shuffled the card back into his deck and drew two more.

"Now I'll summon my good pal, _Performapal Hip Hippo_ in attack mode!"

A pink hippo in a top hat and waistcoat appeared and bowed to the crowd.

ATK: 800

"So this is the famous hippo I've heard about." Judai said. The other Osiris was taking his time but he couldn't help grinning at his over-enthusiastic actions and explanations. If they ever came up with a form of dueling that involved a lot of movement, Yuya was certain to do well.

"It sure is but don't think don't think I'm done yet! I'll activate the continuous spell _Wonder Balloons!"_ A colorful box with question marks of each side appeared behind _Hippo._ "For every card I send to the graveyard, I can add one Balloon Counter. So one, two, three cards I'm discarding!" As he slipped the cards into his graveyard, three colorful balloons popped out of the box.

"I place one card face down and end my turn. Show the audience what you've got next Judai!"

{~~~}

From the stands students who already had their duels or were waiting for their turn, honed in on the duel between the two Reds. There wasn't much to be expected from students from the Academia's lowest dorm, but those two were exceeding any of their expectations.

"Aniki's got this one in the bag!" Sho cheered. "All his opponent has to defend himself is a hippo with eight hundred attack. Anything he draws next is sure to beat it."

"I'm not so sure about that." Misawa said. "We still have no idea what those _Wonder Balloons_ do then there's that facedown. This duel won't as straightforward as it appears."

"I applaud you for your fantastic observation."

Sho and Misawa turned around to see a trio of Ra Yellows. The one in front had crinkly orange hair and one sleeve of his blazer rolled up, revealing the pale blue sleeve underneath. Behind him was a slightly shorter boy with banana-peel like hair and a towering black-haired man with a red sash tied around his forehead.

"Dennis Macfield at your service." The asymmetric one said. "And these are Sawatari Shingo and Gongenzaka Noboru. We're friends of Yuya."

"Friends? Did you meet at the entrance exams?" Sho asked. It was rare to have friends outside one's respective dorm due to the prejudice between them. He doubted that he would have known Misawa if they hadn't had met before they had been sorted.

"Actually, we took the exam together." Dennis explained. "Two members of our group got into Obelisk Blue and us three in Ra Yellow. Yuya's the only one in Osiris Red." He looked down onto the field where the tomato-haired duelist was making showy gestures and grand explanations. "Even though he's restricted, he still shows his entertainment style."

"Entertainment style?"

"You're both aiming to be Pro League duelists, right? What most duelists aim to do is to grow stronger and defeat more opponents to reach the top. There's nothing wrong with that but at the same time, they neglect the audience, the people watching you duel and reason dueling can even be considered a career. An entertainment style focuses not only on winning, but on keeping the crowd entertained at the same time. A duelist might even throw a match if it pleases the audience."

"Wow," Sho said in awe. "To think that there that much more to dueling."

Dennis nodded. "Dueling is more than just combos and calculations. It's a show that your audience has to enjoy. But the problem with an entertainment style is that the duelist's focus is split between the crowd and his opponent, which might force them to please one while failing the other."

"What I don't get is why Yuya is matched up against that guy!" Sawatari grumbled. "While he does have some skill, he lacks presentation and flair! A fellow entertainment duelist like myself would be much better to keep the entertainment flowing!"

"Yuya's not even in your dorm, Sawatari." Gongenzaka sighed. "Besides, your dueling Dennis later and he's as much of an entertainer as you are."

"But still…"

Misawa eyed the larger Yellow and Gongenzaka returned the glance. They were opponents in their own practical exam and he had a feeling it would be a duel to remember. But there was one thing that still edged him, what did Dennis mean by Yuya being 'restricted'?

{~~~}

Back on the field, Judai drew his next card and beamed. "Alright! I play the spell _Polymerization!"_

Yuto pulsed inside Yuya at the activation of the hated spell. _'Please, Yuto, calm down.'_ Yuya thought, hoping to reach his counterpart. _'We're not on the battlefield. This is just a friendly duel. Smiles, remember, we have to make the audience smile.'_

"I fuse the _Elemental Hero_ _Clayman_ on the field with the _Elemental Hero Sparkman_ in my hand to Fusion summon _Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!"_

Clayman leapt into the air and combined with a sharp blue and yellow hero in a swirl of red and blue. A stocky hero with a golden torso with blue orbs crackling with electricity landed onto the field.

ATK: 2400

"Now _Thun_ -Wha?!"

Three balloons popped out of the box on Yuya's side of the field and encased _Thunder Giant_ , restricting his movements.

"W _onder Balloons_ activates!" Yuya declared. "Every monster you control loses three hundred attack points for each balloon counter on it. With three balloon counters, your _Giant_ loses nine hundred attack points!"

ATK: 2400 - 1600

"Now I didn't see that coming." Judai said as his hero waddled in his balloon trappings. "But that doesn't stop _Thunder Giant's_ effect from activating! By sending one card from my hand to the graveyard, I can destroy a monster whose original attack is less than _Thunder Giant's!_ Say goodbye to your _Hippo,_ **Static Blast!"**

A ball of electricity formed in _Thunder Giant's_ hands and was thrown at the hapless _Hippo,_ destroying it with a flash of lightning and covering Yuya's side of the field with smoke.

"I activate my trap _Performapal Revival!"_ Yuya said as his face-down flipped up to reveal a purple trap card. "Since you destroyed my _Hippo,_ I can Special summon a _Performapal_ from my graveyard! So welcome to the stage: _Performapal Mammoth Splash!"_

A purple box dropped onto Yuya's field and burst open to reveal a purple mammoth wearing a green vest and a tiny blue top hat.

DEF: 2300

As Yuya's new monster began to spray water from its showerhead tail, Judai couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about it, about all of Yuya's cards in fact. If he stared at the mammoth long enough, he could see the faint shadow of two gems and something trying to swing between them. A bit like a pendulum, for a lack of better description.

With _Wonder Balloons_ in effect, _Thunder Giant_ was too weak to destroy _Mammoth Splash_ at the moment. "Okay then, guess I'll end my turn here." Judai couldn't help but feel excitement bubble up in him. Despite his weird monsters, Yuya was shaping up to be a challenge and his showy way of dueling seem to add an extra spark.

Yuya drew his next card and smiled. "Ladies and Gentlemen!" He announced with outstretched arms, grabbing the attention of the audience and other duelists on the field. "Following up Judai's spectacular summon of _Elemental Hero Thunder Giant,_ I present to you a Fusion of my own!"

"I activate the spell _Odd-Eyes Fusion!_ Now with the _Performapal Mammoth Splash_ on my field and the _Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon_ in my hand…"

The entertainer's two monsters leapt into the air before a swirl of red and blue. Yuya could feel Yuto's resistance but he wouldn't let him stop his summon.

 _"Dual-colored eyed dragon. Become one with the blizzard behemoth and give birth to a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth, ferocious dragon with luminous feral eyes! Beast-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"_

A large dragon appeared behind Yuya. It was covered in dull yellow bones and spikes with blue and red scales peeking out from underneath. In the center of its forehead was a golden eye which gleamed as it roared.

ATK: 3000

"Are you ready to swing into action? Because the real fun starts now!"

{~~~}

From the teacher's viewing area, Cronos trembled at the sight of Yuya's new dragon.

"H-how can…an O-Osiris Red have such a p-powerful monster? You!" Cronos pointed at Akaba, who was sitting leisurely with his little brother by his side. "You gave that dropout some new cards, didn't you?"

"I did no such thing." Akaba said. "Sakaki Yuya has always been a capable duelist. The only thing stopping him is himself. Though…" He adjusted his glasses. "Do you know what happened to all the new rare cards that arrived today? I heard they were all bought by one person the moment they went on sale."

{~~~}

"Now battle! _Beast-Eyes_ attack _Thunder Giant,_ **Hell Dive Burst!"**

The feral dragon smashed into the restrained hero, making it disappear from the field and dealing the excess damage to Judai.

Judai's LP: 4000 - 2600

"Now _Beat-Eyes_ effect activates! When it destroys a monster in battle, I can deal damage…"

"Equal to the destroyed monster's attack?" Judai guessed.

"Close but not quite the card. You take damage equal to _Beast-Eyes'_ beast-type fusion material's original attack. Since _Splash Mammoth_ had nineteen hundred attack points, you take that amount as direct damage!"

 _Beast-Eyes_ roared as Judai's lifepoints went down even further.

Judai's LP: 2600 - 700

"Now I end my turn. Let's see if…Judai?"

Yuya's opponent had his head bowed and was shaking.

"Are you ok Judai?" Yuya asked. Maybe he went a little too far with that last move.

Then his opponent burst out laughing, causing the entire arena to jump in surprise.

(At least now Yuya knew how others felt when he started to randomly laughing…)

"Now that was something! It's only been a month since I started here and already I've had tons of amazing duels." Judai said with a wide grin. "Though what was with that chanting with while you were summoning?"

"Oh, that? It's just a little something to make the summoning a little more dramatic." Yuya replied.

"You really turned things around with that move, now let's see if I can makes things swing my way again. Draw!"

"First I'll activate _Pot of Greed_ to draw two more cards!" A greed pot with a wicked grin appeared before Judai then shattered as he drew his cards.

Looking down at his hand, Judai saw the card that Ms. Tome had given him in the booster shop. He turned to _Winged Kuriboh,_ who was floating by his side in anticipation. "Ready to make our comeback, partner?"

" _Kuri, kuri!"_ The little monster said in response.

"I summon _Winged Kuriboh_ in defense mode!" Judai said as the winged fluff ball appeared before him earning a few squeals from the female audience.

DEF: 200

"I set two cards face down and end my turn."

"Looks like our show is coming close to its conclusion. The final battle between a David and Goliath!" Yuya said. "I can't wait to see how you'll turn this around. Draw!

"Let's finish this! _Beast-Eyes_ attack _Winged Kuriboh!"_

"I activate _Transcendent Wings!"_ Judai declared as a white light enveloped his small monster. "By sending two cards in my hand to the graveyard, I can bring forth _Kuriboh's_ new evolution!"

" _Winged creature that protects against harm, spread your wings and soar to new heights! Winged Kuriboh LV 10!"_

 _Kuriboh's_ new wings extended across the entire field with an elegant golden headpiece upon its head.

Though its stats remained the same, Yuya was certain that it would turn the duel into Judai's favor.

"So I'm guessing your activating its effect? Yuya asked.

"You bet I am! By tributing _Kuriboh,_ I can destroy all attack position monsters you control and deal the combined attack points to you as direct damage!"

 _Kuriboh_ captured _Beast-Eyes_ in its ginormous wings and both disappeared from the field.

Yuya's LP: 4000 - 1000

"Looks like I'll end my turn." Yuya looked at Judai and smiled. "The stage is yours. With both our fields almost empty, your draw will decide the outcome of the duel."

"Yeah. To think this all comes down to one draw. Okay then here it goes. Draw!" Judai looked down at the card and smiled. "Alright! I summon _Elemental Hero Avian_ in attack mode!"

ATK: 1000

" _Wonder Balloons_ activates! Avian loses nine hundred attack points!"

"I don't think so! I activate my trap, _Feather Wind!_ Since _Avian's_ on the field, I can pop those your balloons!"

As the balloons emerged from the box, the bird-like hero flapped his wings, destroying them with a gale of whirlwind.

"Now _Avian_ attacks you directly!"

Yuya's LP: 1000 - 0

 **Winner: YUKI JUDAI**

Judai pressed his fingers together into a two-finger salute. "Gotcha! That was a fun duel!"

"It sure was!" Yuya said as the holograms faded. "And look at everyone's smiles!"

The entire arena was cheering, from Osiris Red to Ra Yellow to Obelisk Blue, there was a smile painted across all of their faces.

{~~~}

Misawa walked through the halls after the end of his own practical exam against Gongenzaka. His opponent's "Steadfast Dueling" and a deck consisting solely of monsters had caught him off guard but it was an interesting experience.

He had also managed to catch a glimpse of Dennis and Sawatari's duel. The latter played a beatdown _Darts_ deck while the former's was more elusive _Charmer_ -based deck. Much like Yuya, their dueling style was filled with over-acting and enthusiasm to please their audience.

But before today, he had never heard of some of the archetypes that they used. _Superheavy Samurais, Performapals, Darts…_ Misawa would have believed that they were from the new cards that were brought in if the duelists hadn't admitted that they have been using those decks for years.

And also they said they had friends in Obelisk Blue…

"What were your other two cards?"

Misawa ducked behind a wall and saw Sakaki Yuya with a scowling man in a purple coat.

"What do you mean, Kurosaki?" The Red responded.

"You know exactly what I mean." Kurosaki snarled. "You discarded three cards for _Wonder Balloons_ effect. What were the other two?"

Yuya sighed and pulled two identical trap cards from his deck.

" _The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil…"_ The taller man muttered. "You could have won the duel."

"Really? I don't see how…"

"Don't play dumb with me Sakaki! _Shadow Veil_ would have allowed you to summon them to the field as monsters when Yuki declared a direct attack. You could have brought out _Rebellion!"_

"And risk losing control again?" Yuya retorted. "Ever since we came here, I've been feeling more aggressive. _Yuto's_ been feeling more aggressive. If I had summoned _Rebellion,_ there was a good chance that someone was going to get hurt!"

"Yuto wouldn't have let a Fusion bastard win!" Kurosaki yelled.

"Yuto told me to make everyone smile with my power!" Yuya yelled back.

There was a silence between the pair before Yuya said in a smaller voice, "You haven't changed your deck."

Kurosaki stiffened. "I will not abandon my comrades."

"But Akaba said…"

"To hell with what Akaba said!" Kurosaki snarled. "I will not be _Professor Akaba's_ lap dog and neither should you."

Kurosaki stormed off leaving Yuya alone in the hall clutching his chest.

Misawa took this as his que to leave. There was something deeper going on here…

{ **Omake** }

"Now _Avian_ attacks you directly!"

"I activate _The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil_ from my graveyard."

A pair of ghostly blue figures riding black horses appeared before Yuya, intercepting the hero's attack.

DEF: 300

Judai waited for his opponent to give a flamboyant explanation of his card's effect but Yuya remained silent.

"Guess I'll end my turn there." Judai said. "Hey Yuya, you okay?"

"Draw." Yuya said monotonously, ignoring Judai. "I overlay the two level four monsters on my field…"

{~~~}

"Overlay?" Sho said. He turned to Misawa. "Do you have any idea what he means by 'overlay'?"

Misawa shook his head. "No, I've never heard anything like it."

He looked at his fellow Yellows to see that Gongezaka had visibly paled at Yuya's declaration.

"We need to stop the duel." The tall duelist said, shaking slightly.

"Why should we?" Dennis asked. "He's just going to Xyz summon. Sure it's against Akaba's orders but…"

Before he could say any more, a ferocious roar echoed through the arena.

They turned to the field to see that Yuya's two knights were gone and in their place was a black dragon with two lights orbiting it.

Yuya wasn't laughing or smiling, instead he had a scowl set on his face with red piercing eyes. A dark aura emitted from him.

" _Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon_ attacks _Elemental Hero Avian._ **Revolt of Lightning, DISOBEY!"**

The black dragon crackled with electricity as it slammed into the hapless hero and throwing Judai into the wall.

The duel was over but the dragon wasn't disappearing.

"Oh no! That dragon's dealing real damage!" Sho exclaimed.

"We have to get Judai out of there." The four Yellows and Red raced out of the stands as quickly as they could before their friends could get any more injured.

On the field Judai was in a haze of pain. What was going on with Yuya? He was all smiles just a moment ago and now he's trying to kill him.

Something dark stirred within the fall Red. How _dare_ this intruder think he could harm him?

Judai's eyes flickered open.

They were golden yellow.


	4. Lancers at Hogwarts

Not an Average Sorting

Summary: A Hogwarts Sorting. Reiji decides that it's best to first make allies within their own dimension before traversing elsewhere. Using his connections with the Japanese Ministry of Magic, the Lancers tour the magical world in search of allies and finally arrive at the famous Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Because every fandom needs a Harry Potter Sorting (and a Familiar of Zero summoning). Focuses on what the Sorting Hat sees in the Lancers' heads.

{~~~}

There are many fates that can be bestowed upon immortal beings.

One becomes a name that is feared by all, terrifying the world with ice and darkness.

Another is trapped in an infinite loop, forever cursed to repeat the same events over and over again with no hope of changing them.

Quite a few (approximately a hundred and ninety six) simply existed as national icons and mysteries, making political conflicts more personal.

For one immortal, its job was to read the minds of children (and those slightly older on the occasion) and place them into a house where they will grow, learn and further breed prejudice into the society.

Not the most thrilling job but it was the Sorting Hat. Besides, that one evening on 1st of September was what made the other the three-hundred and sixty four days of the year on a dusty shelf worth enduring.

At least it got time to work on its poetry.

Like the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that and all the years up to the point of its creation, the Sorting Hat would sing its verse (and warning, not that anyone listened) before the Deputy Headmaster called the little First-Years up to be Sorted.

Now most people thought that the Sorting Hat would read their mind but if that were the case, every single student would be in the House of Nervousness, Jitters and Anxiety and not in one of Bravery or Ambition or Loyalty or Intelligence.

Not only did the Sorting Hat read the Sortee's mind, it entered their very soul as well. A room within each person that reflected their very being and potential.

As it placed the last nervous First-Year in the best suited house, the Hat prepared itself for another three-hundred and sixty five day cycle before the next Sorting when Albus Dumbledore made a surprising announcement.

"This year we are hosting guests from our sister school in the East, the Lancers of Mahoutokoro. Please make them feel welcome into our humble school and into whatever Houses they are to Sorted into."

Foreigners, and not just any old foreigners, _older_ foreigners. The Hat felt giddy with excitement, or as excited as an enchanted piece of fabric can feel. It would finally see something other than the half-formed soul rooms of pre-teens because honestly, what difference is there in the tender and impressionable minds and souls of an eleven-year-old Tom Riddle or Harry Potter or Albus Dumbledore?

Once again, it heard the unfurling of parchment as Minerva McGonagall began the next but much shorter list. "Akaba, Reiji."

The Hat was dropped onto the head of a rather tall boy and found itself plunged into…a muggle office room?

It took a quick look around the soul room to confirm that, yes, it was modeled after a muggle office of some sort of businessman. Despite being large and incredibly spacious with a high ceiling, the room was sparsely decorated with the few furnishings spread across the room. With the professional atmosphere in the air, the room implied that Reiji Akaba was quite the business-minded, no-nonsense individual, one that liked complete control over a situation. Ravenclaw appeared to be a likely candidate but it was still too early to decide.

On one side of the room was a wide bookshelf while a paper-covered desk in front of a glass window wall sat on the opposite end. The Hat decided to inspect the bookshelf first, hovering over to it. The majority of the shelves were burdened with thick textbooks lined up in an orderly fashion with odd titles such as 'Synchro' and 'Xyz'. A representation of knowledge and its weight. A small collection of mismatched albums were stacked next to the bookshelf. A quick scan revealed they were memories, the happier treasured ones. Similar albums were found hidden on the top shelf, mature memories associated with work and ambitions, almost indistinguishable from the knowledge texts.

With nothing more left to see without being too intrusive, the Hat crossed the room to the window wall and desk. Behind the glass was a muggle city. Tall buildings, automobiles, the works. A stadium sat in the middle of a lake, flashing lights emitting from it.

The desk itself was scattered with documents and folders. Seven folders were spread out with a name and an odd title each. Most were labeled 'Standard' though two were labeled 'Fusion'. Though each folder was thick, one in particular was twice as large as the others and shared a common word with most of the loose documents on the desk. Pendulum.

"So how are you finding my mind?"

The Hat turned to see the mental projection of the boy it was Sorting, dressed in causal muggle clothing with a red scarf fluttering in an invisible wind.

"Quite interesting, to be honest." Very rarely did the Hat get to communicate with the new students. Sometimes it would be able to glean the stronger thoughts floating about their mind but the only time it had a true mental conversation was with someone who had a strong mind and defined image of themselves. Once again, very rare among new students. "My first impressions still remain. You are analytical and intelligent while striving to maintain control over a situation, to make everything go according plan. Ravenclaw would be a suitable house for you but…" The Hat looked across the desk at the various papers, a representation of what currently occupied Reiji Akaba's mind: plans of attack, battle strategies, what could push the other Lancers to their limits, how to win a war with minimal losses… and placing himself at the vanguard to be hated by both his allies and enemies alike for the greater good.

Reiji Akaba followed the Hat's gaze and adjusted his glasses. "Put me in the house where we can gain support for the war. While are forces are skilled, our numbers pale in comparison to those of our enemy."

The Hat could see why Albus Dumbledore accepted the Lancers into Hogwarts when they could potentially drag the Wizarding World into a much larger war. In fact, some parallels could be seen between the two.

"If that is what you want, then you should be…"

"GRIFFINDOR!"

The Hat was taken off and Reiji Akaba joined the ranks of the lion, where he was sure to find many allies.

"Akaba, Reira."

The next Soul Room the Hat was plunged into belonged to someone significantly younger…but was, for a lack of better terms, blank.

The Room was tiny and claustrophobic in comparison to any other room the Hat had entered before. It was completely empty with no defining features of any sort.

In the center of the room, a small boy sat in a lonely chair with a patched teddy bear, a muggle camera and a queer object with a deck of cards in his grasp.

While the Hat had seen people like Reiji Akaba who had a firm definition of themselves, this was the first time it had encountered someone on the opposite side of the spectrum. Reira Akaba had _no_ definition of self. Only a blank room, a blank mind, a blank soul.

With nothing to analyze, the Hat asked the boy, "Which house do you want to be in?"

"I want to be with nii-sama." Reira Akaba replied.

The Hat nodded. Godric's house had a strong sense of character that would help Reira Akaba build himself and fill this empty room.

"GRFFINDOR!"

"D'Academia, Selena."

This Room bore a strong resemblance to a student's dorm room, if a cyclone had torn through. Selena D'Academia's room was a complete mess with books scattered across the carpet, a desk overturned in a corner and shredded pillows in another. The disorder of inner turmoil and a changing mind. The girl's Soul Room was in the process of remaking itself to suit her new ideals, to rationalize what new information.

A large photo frame that once hung on the back wall laid shattered on the floor, the portrait within slashed that the face could no longer be recognized. A betrayal of someone who she held in high regard.

The windows had been thrown wide open with the pale curtains fluttering in the wind. It was night 'outside' the window with a full moon shining through. A yearning for freedom beyond the restrictions of her former, or maybe even new, ideals.

A similar object to the one Reira Akaba was holding with a deck of cards was at the very center of the room, basking in the moonlight. But there was something fierce about this one, a sharpness like a blade, an aura of a weapon.

Now this was a more traditional sorting.

"Reshaping your ideals is always a tricky thing to do but it seems you have it mostly under control. Just be careful not to lose yourself. Someone with your spirit should belong in…

"GRIFFINDOR!"

"Fuuma, Tsukikage."

"Welcome to my mind, Honorable Sorting Hat." Tsukikage Fuuma greeted, dressed in ninja garb with a metal headpiece with a moon engraved on it.

"A pleasure." The Hat had landed in an oriental dojo and spied the same peculiar object and cards as before, with the same battle-ready quality. Sorting Tsukikage Fuuma would not be too much trouble but how often did the Hat get a chance to talk to someone? Might as well take every opportunity for a conversation before being placed on a shelf for the next year. "Do you have any preferences?"

"I trust in you decision." The ninja said. "…but I do wish to be placed somewhere where I will still be an asset to Lord Akaba."

"Lord?" Now that was an interesting title. The last person to call someone 'Lord' became a devoted Death Eater.

"My clan has devoted our services to Akaba Reiji and his goals. He may be…slightly manipulative but he does it so for the greater good."

"Even if you have already lost a brother?"

Tsukikage Fuuma winced. "We were well aware of the consequences when committing to his cause. But I will not let his sacrifice be in vain."

The Hat let out a soft chuckle. "Such a strong sense of loyalty. You may not be suited to be in the same house as your 'Lord' but may you serve him from the shadows in…

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Gongenzaka, Noboru."

Once again the Hat was in a dojo with the queer device and deck of cards in the center of the room. But this time, the device emitted an aura of protection and enjoyment. Something that can be used for fun yet can be used as a weapon if the time called for it.

Photographs lined the walls, each one containing snapshots of various memories. Alongside Noboru Gongenzaka in many of the photos were a girl in pigtails and a boy in goggles. Dear friends that he would never abandon.

Around the dojo were various pieces of samurai armor. Some were only single pieces such as gauntlets while others were full suits, eyeing the Hat making observations. The full suits of armor were guarding something, the more treasured parts of the soul, but when the Hat attempted to see past them, they refused entry. Though the Hat, with years of magic and knowledge, could find a way to bypass the armor, there was no need to. The armor would resist and remain rooted in their resolve, steadfast and unmoving.

A gentle tune echoed through the Room, a soothing melody on flute and trumpet the seemed to tie the room together.

Now this was an easy one.

"A steadfast heart and an unmoving devotion to your friends. Be careful that your loyalty does not lead you astray. Good luck in…

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Kurosaki, Shun."

Minerva McGonagall dropped the Hat onto the next waiting head…

…only to be driven out by a flock of angry birds.

Unprepared for such a violent resistance, the Hat was thrown off the head of the scowling Shun Kurosaki.

The Hat couldn't help but feel impressed by the boy's Occlumency skills. They were well developed for a person of his age and would be quite difficult for the average wizard to intrude his mind and soul.

A different approach was needed for this Sorting.

The Hat was dropped back onto his head and was once again greeted by the angry flock but instead of letting them push the Hat out like last time, the Hat absorbed the flock, and Shun Kurosaki, into its own Soul Room.

It was the first time the Hat had tried anything like this and so many things could go wrong from merging souls to a complete loss of sanity, but it worked out perfectly.

Shun Kurosaki was dropped into a replica of the Headmaster's Office and the Hat appeared before him.

"That was quite the stunt you pulled back there." The Hat grinned. "The most exciting thing to happen in the past thousand years. I applaud you for that."

But Shun Kurosaki didn't respond. He just kept staring at the Hat, silent and dumbfound.

"What? Surprised that a hat even has a Soul Room. Well, every sentient being has one, or even more in some cases. They're quite interesting actu-"

"Ute?" The boy mumbled.

"Ute?" The Hat looked over its current appearance to discover that it was no longer a tattered wizard hat but rather a boy in rather tattered muggle clothing. "Ah. Apparently I have taken the form someone you know." It tried to transform back to its original appearance, hands and legs were rather awkward things, but to no avail. "…and I am stuck in this form."

Shun Kurosaki snarled and dashed at the Hat. A blade appeared from the queer object it had seen in previous Rooms and was pressed against its neck.

"Who are you? _What_ are you? And where are we?" he spat.

The Hat sighed. There was a chance of hostility when dealing with people in Soul Rooms, but this was ridiculous. "If you weren't listening to my lovely poem from earlier, I am the Sorting Hat and we are currently in my Soul Room to have you Sorted into one of Hogwart's houses considering you refuse to let me into yours. Now then…"

The Hat snapped its fingers and seated the both of them in a pair of chairs with a cup of tea in hand.

"Tell me about yourself." It was a rather mundane way to Sort but Shun Kurosaki was extremely protective of his Room and forcing itself in would lead to more trouble.

The boy scowled at the Hat. "I don't have time to play school and wave sticks."

"Oh, why is that?"

"Because there's a damn war!" Shun Kurosaki quickly shut himself up and started eyeing the Room suspiciously. "There's a _Trust Me_ spell active."

Rage of a Lion, Mind of a Raven. This was definitely the highlight of the century. "Perceptive. I was enchanted with that spell to make children open their Rooms to me. Makes Sorting them much easier."

"It's fucking intrusive." His eyes were darting around, probably looking for an escape route.

"Language, young man." The Hat scolded. "How would the Sorting occur if I couldn't enter the Soul Rooms?"

"Just…find another way…" He must have decided that there was no visible exit and kept his eyes to the floor.

"So who's Ute?" The Hat asked, bracing itself for an outburst of anger. There had to be a reason Shun Kurosaki acted so negatively to its current appearance but it needed something to work with to Sort the boy.

Instead, the boy bowed his head solemnly. "Ute is…was my only comrade." He said, refusing to meet the Hat's eyes. "He's gone now."

"What about the Lancers? Are they not your comrades?"

"Akaba and his group of brats and clowns can drop dead for all I care. They don't stand a chance on a real battlefield. All they're doing is stopping my mission. I'm certain that one of them is an Academia Rat."

"Your mission?"

"Find my sister."

The Hat nodded. "I think I can Sort you now. Just answer one more question…

Which of the houses were you sorted in last time?"

Shun Kurosaki shot up. "How did you know?"

"The _Trust Me_ spell isn't part of the mainstream curriculum of any school in the world other than Hogwarts. If you were from Mahoutokoro, you would have said something about a seal of trust." Besides, there was some sort of odd…familiarity to Shun Kurosaki, as if the Hat had encountered him before despite this being their first meeting.

He closed his eyes and muttered, "…Ravenclaw."

"Ah, I see. Though you may be wrathful and focused towards a goal even at the expense of others, you still have a sharp mind and a certain love for competition. Maybe by returning to your old house, you can rediscover who you once were. So find yourself in…

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Macfield, Dennis."

The Hat found itself dropped into a red seat. Before it was a stage with bright lights flashing and colorful signs everywhere. On stage, a show was about to begin.

A stream of flames lit up the stage before being devoured by a pair of round black creatures in pointed hats and capes. The two creatures then transformed into a pair of red lights, circling each other until colliding in a flurry of sparks.

From the sparks, a masked acrobat dressed in white with a red cape swung in on a trapeze. With a twist of his baton, the stage erupted into fireworks.

Dennis Macfield appeared center stage in an asymmetric suit with the two creatures and acrobat at his side.

"So what did you think?" the smiling redhead asked.

"Quite the entertaining show. A love for the stage and an ambition to be a performer. Quite the amazing set up. Now will you show me your true Soul Room or will this be another question and answer session?"

The smile dropped from faces of the boy and his creatures. He gave a mirthless laugh. "You saw right through my mask."

"I am a thousand year old hat created to examine Soul Rooms. It will take a lot more that some lights and mirrors to fool me."

The performers disappeared and the stage started to fade away.

The Hat found itself in a dorm room again, one identical to Selena D'Academia's except this one was well maintained and Spartan.

Any trace of the previous stage was gone.

The frame that was completely destroyed in the last room hung in perfect condition on the wall, the picture depicting an imposing bald man in purple.

Dennis Macfield was now dressed in a blue uniform with a grey helmet in his hand.

"So you are a spy?"

"While being an entertainer is fun, I am loyal to the Academia. I will not betray the Professor." He said monotonously.

"But are you happy?"

The child soldier bit his lip and refused to reply.

"Your loyalty to the Academia is unwavering and Hufflepuff would be a good fit for you. But you are happy as an entertainer, as a performer. Had your devotion been any weaker, you would have already become a traitor." The Hat materialized a mask similar to the one the acrobat was wearing. "Put back on your mask and don't make me regret this decision. Now have your fun in…

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Sa-"

"Sawatari, Shingo! That's me!"

The Hat watched as a blond flop pushed in front of the goggles wearing tomato-head and sat himself on the stool. Minerva McGonagall glared at the boy then sighed and dropped the Hat on his head.

The Hat entered a luxurious room with cream walls and red carpet. Tapestry of Japanese legends hung on the walls depicting mountains and humanoid weasels riding on whirlwinds. A fondness of mythology perhaps, or maybe pride in his heritage.

Opposite the tarps was a giant darts board with several darts sticking out of bullseye. Beside the board was a photo of Shingo Sawatari and three other boys, all dressed in white jackets with golden trims. A representation of a sharp mind with a deadly aim… or it could just be a hobby of throwing darts.

The Hat sighed and looked for something else to examine. While this boy might have appeared straight forward to examine to begin with, all the major features of his Room seemed to carry a double meaning.

Once again the queer object was in the center of the room but this time there were three decks of cards surrounding it instead of just one. It sat on a stage, one that looked newly erected, surrounded by a multitude of colourful costumes and show scripts.

Now this was the key to Sorting Shingo Sawatari.

Like every other main feature in the room, the stage had a double meaning: a new love for theatre and performing as well as a flamboyant and extravagant personality. But the reason why it was made, why it was such a prominent feature in the room, was the deciding factor. A photograph of another boy filled with dart holes laid at the foot of the stage, a rival that he wants to surpass. A shadow of a family portrait overshadowing the entire Room, from the tapestries to the dart boards to the glittery cards scattered around the Room, with the stage being the only thing that wasn't under its domain; the shadow of his father that he so desperately wanted to step out of and be recognized as his own person.

"You've had everything you've ever wanted handed to you on a silver platter but you still want more. You want to prove yourself as your own person but first you face reality. This is a real war you are planning to fight in and you can't rely on your father's influence to save you. Learn to stand on your own feet and achieve your ambitions in…

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Sakaki, Yuya." The finality in Minerva McGonagall's voice alerted the Hat that this would be the last Sorting of the year. While the Hat wished this could go on forever, mortals had to move on. They weren't stagnant like the Hat and other eternal beings.

So for the last time before it returned to the dusty shelf in the Headmaster's office, the Hat was dropped onto the head and entered the Soul Room of Yuya Sakaki…

…And it was a war zone.

There was no other way to describe it. The Hat was surrounded by the ruins of what might have been and prosperous muggle city. Buildings that once touched the sky now laid in crumbling heaps. Roads that should have been swarmed with people were deserted. The sky was an ominous grey with storm clouds brewing and blocking any hint of sunlight.

This wasn't the true form of Sakaki Yuya's Soul Room. Most likely, the boy had experienced a terrible event that inspired this war-torn scene. Had he actually watched this city be attack by invaders or was it merely symbolic of a great lost?

The Hat scanned the Room for something, anything, that told him who Sakaki Yuya really was. But there was nothing. No albums for memories. No books for knowledge. No pictures of friends. No toys or cards or even the queer object the Hat had grown accustom to seeing in these foreigners' Soul Rooms. Only shattered walls, broken homes and a heavy atmosphere of lost. The ruined city had complete consumed the boys soul.

And then there was the push, almost like Occlumency but not quite, trying to get the Hat to leave the Soul Room…

" _Revolt of Lightning, DISOBEY!"_

The battle cry alerted the Hat of an incoming attack and dodged the charging lightning bolt by threads of its fibers.

The Hat turned to see a black dragon crackling with electricity snarling at it. On its back, the Hat could barely make out a small figure, probably Yuya Sakaki.

"We need to get rid of this intruder." The Hat heard the rider mutter. "Attack again Rebellion. _Mauling Mandible Charge!"_

The dragon cloaked itself with lightning and charged at the Hat, reminding it a little too much of Shun Kurosaki and his flock of angry birds.

Seriously, what was it with teenagers and overly aggressive mental defenses these days?

Well, it asked for something that would help his sort the boy and the Hat got what it asked for.

The Hat jumped out of the dragon's path and began analyzing the beast. Dragons in general represented strength and power as well as protectors of great treasure. The fact it used lightning to attack meant a fierce and swift mind. By cloaking itself in lightning and heading for a charge that was sure to leave plenty of recoil showed recklessness and how quickly the dragon and its rider had started to attack it could be a sign of a trigger-happy personality that was quick to jump to conclusions.

Overall, Yuya Sakaki was revealing himself to be a run-of-the-mill Griffindor.

"Though I don't particularly like getting attack, this scuffle has revealed quite a lot about you. A protector and rebellious soul, learn to let go of the past or else it will completely take over your soul." Had the dragon stopped attacking? The Hat hadn't really noticed, this Sorting was just about done anyway. "Don't be so quick to judge those you meet or you just might find yourself making an enemy out of a potential ally. So, Yuya Sakaki, best of luck in… GRIFFIN-mrf!"

The Hat was muffled by a pair of rough hands as the rider covered its mouth. The dragon had landed behind its rider, growling at the Hat and awaiting further instructions.

After he was certain that the Hat wasn't going to continue talking, the rider released it. "You are… the Sorting Hat." The boy said slowly.

"Who else would I be?" The Hat retorted. First Yuya Sakaki presents a Soul Room with barely anything to Sort, attacks with a lightning-wielding dragon then interrupts just as its about to Sort him. The nerve of the boy.

"I'm not Sakaki Yuya." The rider said.

Now that he was in front of the Hat and not commanding attacks on the back of a dragon, the rider looked rather familiar. He wore a tattered black cloak over what once was a white uniform shirt, now an off green due to lack of washing. His hair was black with purple bangs, dyed or natural the Hat couldn't tell, and his face was obscured by a mask and goggles. He fit into the ruined city rather well with this rebel-styled attire…

Then it clicked.

"You must be Ute." The Hat said. The push and mental barriers were extremely similar Shun Kurosaki's but not as powerful or developed, muffled if the Hat had to describe it, and it remembered taking that form when Sorting that boy. But that did beg the question… "What are you doing in Yuya Sakaki's Soul Room?"

"In all honesty, I have no idea." Ute admitted. "I thought I was transported back to Heartland, or in Hell, when I first woke up here but then I started hearing things…seeing things…doing things. I don't know how but that damned Fusion Pawn knocked me into Sakaki's Soul Room and I have no idea how to get out."

"So you've been a guard dog, attacking any and all beings that enter Yuya Sakaki's mind and soul?"

The boy growled. "You were trespassing!"

"I have a job to do." The Hat responded. "You have three options: you lead me to Yuya Sakaki's Soul Room, I use you for the Sorting or I start _breaking_ things until I find what I'm looking for."

The dragon snarled at the threat towards its master but the Hat wasn't intimidated. Ute and his dragon only existed in this Soul Room with nothing in the real world to anchor their existence. If it were destroyed, they would cease to exist.

"Fine." Ute said. He obviously wasn't happy with his decision but the Hat wasn't a major threat.

He pulled down his mask and removed his goggles, revealing a face identical to Yuya Sakaki's. The Hat was beginning to believe that 'Ute' wasn't his own person but rather second personality or defensive mechanism. His lack of…connection to the real world prevented the Hat from thinking that 'Yuya Sakaki' was the false persona. Maybe the two boys were twins and Ute had died recently, leaving the 'Ute' that the Hat was dealing with was nothing more than a memory. That would also explain why Shun Kurosaki said he was 'gone'. But then would the 'Fusion Pawn' be…

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" the boy yelled awkwardly, his voice echoing through the ruined city and snapping the Hat out of its speculations. "The real fun…"

"…starts here!" A distant voice responded.

A blue crystal appeared in the sky. Swinging from left to right, it drew arcs of bluish white across the bleak grey.

"The exit is through there." Ute said, pointing to the center of the crystal's path. "You'll have to find your own way to Yuya's Soul Room once you get out."

"Thank you." Hopefully this 'exit' wasn't another hostile defense.

"Don't cause any trouble." Ute replaced his mask and mounted his dragon, flying off deeper into the ruins.

The Hat floated up the crystal found a small gap where Ute had directed. Leaving the ruined city, the boy and his dragon behind it, the Hat entered the gap and emerged in a stone corridor, similar to the ones that run through Hogwarts' dungeons.

Behind it, a black door slammed shut. There was no turning back, not that the Hat was planning to anyway.

Wandering down the corridor the Hat found two other doors, one purple and one white, but 'door' wasn't the best word to describe them. They lacked hinges and handles and looked more like panels than they did doors as if they were placeholders for something else.

The Hat was giddy with excitement. Despite the rather rude welcoming party, Yuya Sakaki's mind was full of mysteries and it hadn't even found the main room yet!

Finally, the Hat arrived at the entrance to Yuya Sakaki's true Soul Room, a red and green double door with a blue star in the center. What will it find behind these doors? Maybe the bravery of the Lion, reckless and willing to do what he believes is right. Or the wit of the Raven, intelligent and pursuing knowledge and wisdom for the sake of it. Possibly the ambition of the Snake, cunning and doing whatever for his goals. Maybe even the loyalty of the Badger, steadfast and well rooted in his beliefs.

Pushing through the doors, the Hat found itself in a circus big top.

The Hat was taken aback by how different this Soul Room was to the other. Where the other stretched out to the horizon, unending with city ruin after city ruin, this one had purple cloth walls outside the main ring defining the limits of the Room. Colored spot lights danced around the room, creating beams of purple, green, yellow and fuchsia with a the main light source shining down from above. This was the soul of an entertainer, honest and innocent unlike the farce of Dennis Macfield or the developing stage of Shingo Sawatari.

Giant bubbles floated about the Room, memories enclosed within them, and colorful balls bounced wildly with various costumed animals riding them. Sometimes the creatures would turn into cards, the same cards that made up the decks from the previous Rooms, when under the light but would then dramatically change back in a puff of smoke and stars. They were not weapons or warriors but were a method of entertaining.

Two pillars of light stood on either side of the room with the blue crystal that lead the Hat swinging between them. Above it was a pair of figures, one in red and the other in white, distant and unreachable, held high over everything else in the room with nothing above them. But they watched over the performing creatures below, like teachers supervising students, and seemed to flicker in and out of view. They were his goal and ambition. Someone who had inspired Yuya Sakaki and taught him what he knew. Someone that the boy wanted to reach and surpass.

Pictures of people lined the cloth walls, all varying in size and shape. The larger the photo, the more trusted and influential the person was. The other Lancers were there in separate medium sized frames with the exception of Noboru Gongenzaka. He was in a much larger frame along with Yuya Sakaki and a pig-tailed Selena D'Academia, despite the girl already having her own separate frame. A blonde woman and a black-haired man in red coattails, identical to the red figure high above, stood side by side in the largest frame. His parents, the Hat assumed. They would have the biggest influence on the boy of course.

Despite the happiness and light that overflowed in the Room, a creeping darkness lingered in the corners. The Hat had sensed something similar in the other Soul Room and while wandering the corridor. Out there it was prominent, making its presence known and ruling, but here it was subdued. Hiding away and slowly consuming the room, a colored ball here and couple photo frames over there.

The Darkness was what stood out to the Hat the most. It wasn't ignored. The lights tried to brighten its corners and the creatures would sometimes pounce, but they attacked blindly. They knew that something was there but they didn't quite know where or what it was. It could be something sent by an external force to take over the Room but it fit in so well that it couldn't have been from the outside and it wasn't quite malevolent. It probably symbolized the harsh reality of the world trying to find its place in this idealistic room, a reality that clashed with everything that the room stood for.

The final Sorting of the year was something that didn't disappoint. "Despite the rather rude welcoming party, your Soul Room was something that I haven't seen in centuries. You have a strong trust in your friends and an unwavering loyalty to your father's style but what overshadows everything else is your ambition. A dream to surpass your father's legacy, holding true to your ideals no matter what the cost. In most recent years, it has been forgotten that being ambitious is not the same as being evil, that cunning and darkness are not synonymous. But be careful, do not let your ideals prevent you from seeing the truth. Sometimes you must accepting for what they are and accept that they cannot be changed. So go then and show them the other side of…

"SLYTHERIN!"

{~~~}

Did you agree/disagree with these Sortings? In all honesty, if the Hat had seen Shun and Ute real Soul Rooms, Shun would be in Slytherin or Hufflepuff (depends how you interpret his single-minded goal to save his sister) and Ute would be Ravenclaw (more level headed of the pair and generally avoid conflict) but because it couldn't, it had to go off interactions. As for other characters, I think Joeri would be Hufflepuff for his loyalty to the Academia/the Professor, and Yuzu and Hugo both Griffindor as both are considerably the most headstrong among their counterparts.

What you can expect in the future (in no specified order):

Not so Mysterious – A Gravity Falls AU in which the Yu boys take the place of both pairs of Pines twins, there are at least five Authors and twelve Journals.

Not what was expected – The standard 'Louise summons X instead of Saito' crossover in which Ute is as quick to jump to conclusions as Shun and Guiche should have never learned how to fuse his golems.

Not Dropping the Mask – The Black Rose Witch vs. Berserk Yuya had 5ds and the Synchro arc had taken place at the same time. Can also be seen as a rewrite/merging of arc-v ep 78-79 and 5ds ep 23-24

Not a Better Love Story – (Can also be called 'How Yuzu Hiragi's Life Went to Hell in a Weekend') A very loose Twilight AU in which Yuzu moves to a new town and a case of mistaken identity drags her into the supernatural world.

Not for Justice – (Death Note AU) Ute tries to be normal and go to university but Joeri is L and Kira is his latest hunt.

Not Beyond Space and Time – Yuya's trying to solve a puzzle, Yuto's hunting numbers, Yugo has a weird birthmark and Yuri goes to an overseas boarding school. Or Yugi's an entertainer, Yuma's actually competent, Yusei dresses like Jack and Judai's evil from the start.

Not in a Day (but he found out anyway) – In which Joeri isn't a completely heartless bastard and Hugo really becomes a pawn of fusion.

Also, I'll use the 'official' spelling for the Yu squads names (Ute, Hugo, Joeri) if they're not related and the other spelling (Yuto, Yugo, Yuri) if they are from now on. If Yuya needs an alternate spelling for his name, I'll use Iouiya (search 'Yuya Egypt' for why).

Thank you for reading and any and all ideas for future chapters as well as comments/criticism of previous ones will be greatly appreciated. Also comment if you want to see any of the ideas above first.


	5. 1000 Paper Cranes

Not Just Paper (but a source of hope)

Summary: Five times Shun folded cranes himself and one time that he was prompted.

A plot bunny that attacked while I was folding 1000 cranes for an art project.

The next chapter will be the Gravity Falls AU, the Twilight AU or another drabble like this one. It all depends on whether or not I'll write a three-way duel (and school and life and motivation).

{~~~}

When Shun first heard the tale of Sasaki Sadako and the thousand paper cranes, he scoffed at it. The story was ridiculous. The girl died before she could finish making the cranes so why keep repeating the tale?

But still...he liked birds and he had a lot of spare time on his hands...

So Shun ripped a page out of his notebook and began folding.

The first crane was lopsided but recognisable and he would have a lot of practise leading up to the thousandth crane.

He still didn't know what he would wish for though.

{~~~}

When Heartland fell, paper cranes were the last things on his mind. The only birds that mattered were his Raidraptors, matching every pain those Fusion bastards had dealt to them with flaming claws.

But then he dislocated his shoulder. Ute and Ruri were moments away from tying him onto the infirmary bed due to his constant struggles...

...then he saw the wider effects of the invasion.

Some were like him, injured on the frontlines and healing before returning to battle. But there were others that would be forever bedridden, many from the first attack and even more from the oncoming waves.

The rage of his soul dimmed and sorrow rose. So much was lost in this war. They may be able to drive the invaders out but things will never be the same. He could never be the same. His dreams of the pro-league were nothing more than a distant memory. He could never think of Duel Monsters as an innocent card game anymore.

So he took a crumpled wrapper and began folding.

They were wrinkly but well formed. Shun had folded twelve before he ran out of paper.

The inner hatred against the invaders rekindled and he wished that those bastards would feel the hurt from every wound they had inflicted.

{~~~}

When Ruri disappeared, Shun's thoughts never strayed from his sister's possible fates. She was a fighter. She wouldn't go down so easily, so quietly. Somewhere in a obscure battlefield, Ruri would be knocking Fusion soldiers down like flies. If she had been captured, his sister would make her captors' lives hell.

But when someone went missing and didn't turn up after a couple of days, they weren't assumed to be fighting or captured. Fusion never took prisoners. And Ruri had been missing for nearly three weeks.

So Shun folded cranes. When he wasn't duelling or looking for Ruri, he was turning every scrap of paper he could find into an origami bird.

Other's in the Resistance called it an obsession. Ute called it hope.

Shun just kept wishing that his little sister would come back alive.

{~~~}

When Shun and Ute made their (stupid, crazy, irrational, suicidal, etcetera...) interdimensional leap into Standard, he didn't have the time to fold cranes. The Professor, the mad man that started this damned war, had a son in Standard. A brat that could be held for ransom for his little sister who was definitely being held captive by the Academia.

But then there was the meeting with Standard-Ruri, tricked into learning Fusion by an Academia spy. Then the Akaba brat revealed that he was against dear daddy's plan. And Shun chose the lesser evil and joined him.

So in his room (glided cage), Shun tore up the fancy textbooks for paper cranes with the wish that this won't blow up in his face.

{~~~}

When Shun couldn't contact Ute after the appearance of the Fusion Pawn, he scoured the city for his best friend. No alley was left unchecked, no corner left unturned.

But then Standard-Ute summoned Rebellion and Shun broke inside.

So he folded cranes with whatever paper was left in his cage. There were no wishes because wishes never came true. The birds were memorials for dreams never met, lives forever shattered and friends that were never coming back.

(But deep down he still hoped...)

{~~~}

When Shun regained consciousness, he was in a hospital bed. A proper one with an IV in his arm and a machine monitoring his heart. Nothing like the bloodstained mattresses the Resistance had to make do with (and Shun realised how spoiled he has become).

He wouldn't be held down by minor flesh wounds when there was a war to fight.

Dragging the IV out with him (pre-war stints at the hospital taught him that pulling out big needles from his arm was a definite no-no), Shun sunk out of his ward...

...But found the rest of Akaba's 'Lancers' planted on the other side of the curtain.

They were seated on a chequered picnic cloth, a pile of coloured paper in the centre of their circle. Their nonsensical chatter had stopped and all eyes were on him.

"Kurosaki. You should be resting." The wannabe samurai (with whom he felt a kinship that he would never admit with) said.

"It was only a few scratches." He scowled.

"And several broken ribs plus older wounds that did not heal correctly." Fusion-Ruri said. She had given up fiddling with a red square which was now a crumpled ball. "I was there when you fell."

Shun ignored her. He didn't need another sister imposter, especially one raised by the Academia (and he wondered if there was a Fusion-Ute running around).

"What are you doing?" he asked even though he already had a vague idea.

"We're making paper cranes!" Standard-Ute said. His was voice full of optimism but Shun knew there was no heart behind it. Ute still Ute regardless of what dimension he was in. It hurt.

The magician-clown (which looked uncomfortably familiar) gestured to the side. "Like in the tale of Sasaki Sadako. If you make a thousand, then your wish will be granted."

Shun's eyes followed the hand and land on a pile of... _things._ "Those are not cranes."

"What?!" the blond flop exclaimed a little too dramatically. "We've been working on these all morning! I, Neo New Sawatari, will not let hours of labour go to waste!"

"They still look like crap." Shun said. (He should really learn their names but naming something made you feel more attached, more hurt when it is lost.)

"Well I'd like to see you do better!"

A piece of purple paper, proper origami paper that he hadn't seen in years, was thrust into his hands.

So Shun folds it with practised ease. The paper became an elegant crane. It wasn't one of his best but next to the others, it was a masterpiece.

The flop gaped and the other Lancers looked impressed.

Standard-Ute just smiled, as if he knew of the hundreds Shun had folded in the past.

"So what's your wish?"

Shun considered not answering him, just dropping the crane and retreating to the comfy hospital bed.

But he cradled the bird and stayed.

"For the war to be over."

And a world that was still worth fighting for.


	6. Fourteen Years Old

Not so old

Summary: Given all they've done, it's easy to forget how old they really are.

My crack at a songfic. Hopefully this is better than the last time I tried something different. Based off Lucas Graham's "Seven Years". More stuff will be coming, there's just some things to sort out. Enjoy.

{~~~}

Once I was seven years old, my daddy told me,

"Smile instead of cry and you'll be happy."

Once I was seven years old.

[]

It was a big big world but we got by with duelling,

Always having fun even when we're losing.

By eleven on the Action Field and dancing,

Side by side with our monsters we were entertaining.

[]

But when I was eleven years old, my dad, he never showed.

The duel was lost and now I'm the coward's son.

Back when I was eleven years old.

[]

I'll make the whole world smile, just like my dad before me,

So I'll keep smiling even if I feel like crying.

The world sees a fool and a broken legacy

But the pendulum just keeps on swinging.

[]

Now I am fourteen years old, the loss became won

Because of the summon from my dad's pendulum.

Now I am fourteen years old.

[]

Now I see my goal, I keep on getting better.

New friends and foes but smiles are what really matter

But something's stirring, a hidden mystery

And then I met a boy with the same face as me.

[]

I'm still fourteen years old and now there is a war.

Fighting even when I don't want to hurt anymore.

I'm still fourteen years old.

[]

I'm only fourteen years old and now I'm in jail

But with my friends old and new we will never fail.

I'm only fourteen years old.

[]

I learn that life is cruel and smiles alone just aren't working.

Things are different here but I have to keep on duelling.

I keep losing friends even though I'm winning

And in the end I feel that something's missing.

[]

I'm just fourteen years old and I've been crowned king.

I've found my voice and learned to speak through duelling.

We've been together through thick and thin,

Maybe now we might have a chance to win.

[]

We're far from twenty years old but we will still fight

Because what they're doing is wrong and never right.

But we're not yet twenty years old.

[]

We're not twenty years old but we feeling like sixty one,

The city is destroyed and our innocence gone.

We feel so very very old.

[]

Once I was seven years old, my daddy taught me,

"Smile instead of cry and you'll be happy."

Once I was seven years old.


	7. Merging

Not Four – The Amalgamation

Summary: The war was over. The dimensions remained separate yet connected but at a price. Four became one but…what is one?

Joeri's colour was purple. He had dressed regally and within Academia's dress code. Purple in honour of the Professor.

Hugo's colour was white. He had a hard time keeping his clothes clean but it was worth the effort. White in tribute of the King.

Ute's colour was black. He had kept this through the invasion to blend in with the shadows. Black in reference to the Resistance.

Yuya's colour was red. He had his father's colour but had imposed his aesthetic. Red in the legacy of Entertainment.

So what was his colour then?

Colours…why was he thinking of colours now?

Because colours were easier to decide than names.

Yuya. Ute. Hugo. Joeri.

Yuuya. Yuuto. Yuugo. Yuuri.

They all shared 'Yuu' so could that be his name? No, that was already someone else's. Yatogori then? No, too clunky.

Colours were easier.

He could be Purple-White-Black-Red.

He couldn't be Joeri-Hugo-Ute-Yuya.

Colours were easy. They had all worn each colour at some point so it was okay for him to wear them all.

But what about style?

Joeri was uniform.

Hugo was racer.

Ute was punk.

Yuya was circus.

Could that all work together?

He tried.

He picked the cape first. It was Joeri's but it was in Yuya's colour. It didn't look too Academia so it was okay with Ute. It was also short enough to not get caught in a D-Wheel so Hugo relented.

(A D-Wheel. When was he going to get one? Was he going to get one? Duelling…no think about duelling later. He had to get dressed first.)

Hugo's riding suit over Ute's shirt and tie. Weird but easy to move around in. Ute and Hugo were satisfied, Yuya thought it wasn't too bad and Joeri couldn't be bothered forming any arguments.

That left Yuya. Wearing two sets of pants or shirts would be weird and a jacket would be awkward, both over his shoulders or worn normally.

(But that would make a double cape and that's perfectly fine because that was fun to run around in, right?)

Accessories then for Yuya. Choker, wristbands, goggles and the pendant. Never forget the pendant.

He dressed balanced enough with a bit of everyone somewhere. A little too much Hugo and Ute and not enough Yuya and Joeri but there was always tomorrow.

So he must look fine.

The mirror said otherwise.

 _Unconventional,_ said Joeri.

 _Haz…haz-hard to ride in,_ said Hugo.

 _Too mismatched and flashy,_ said Ute.

 _It's umm…ah—okay, it won't work,_ said Yuya.

So there was no way he could dress like this. Fantastic.

He flopped onto the floor, piles of discarded clothing softening his fall. Turning on his side, he saw a box of cards.

 _Build a deck._ Said the Dragon.

No.

 _Build a deck._

No.

 _Build._

No.

 _BUILD._

NO!

 _Do it._

…Fine.

He sat up and drew the box closer to him. This was going to be hard. Peformapals and Magicians. Phantom Knights. Speedroids. Predator Plants. They couldn't be mixed and matched like clothing. Maybe he should decide on a name first…

 _BUILD A DECK._

Shut up!

Clothes were placed back in the wardrobe for space and he splayed every card across the floor.

It was to decide where to start. The Dragons.

Odd Eyes. Dark Rebellion. Clear Wing. Starve Venom.

They were all going into his deck. No exceptions.

That meant Pendulums, a gateway into Fusion, Synchro and Xyz.

So Dragons and Magicians.

So far, so good.

For traps…Phantom Knights were good for traps, some were generic enough to work with the rest.

But how to fit in Speedroids and Predator Plants?

They were archetypes, rigid ones to boot. There were some that could fit but not enough to be useful or balanced.

 _Why bother with one deck. Make four._

 _But how to use them all?_

 _Swap decks every turn._

 _Or duel yourself._

He rubbed his temples and sighed. This was not working, not working at all.

There was a knock at the door. Yuya's door. This was Yuya's room in Standard.

Hugo missed his place at the orphanage however small or dirty it had been.

Ute was still adjusting to something that wasn't completely in shambles.

Joeri demanded familiarity, his dorm at the Academia.

"How are you doing?" It was Yoko Sakaki. A gracious host. A nice woman. A caretaker. Mom.

Mom?

Mom.

Joeri's mother was a distant memory.

Hugo's was non-existent.

Ute's was most likely dead.

Yoko Sakaki was mom. They all agreed on that.

"I'm…I'm…" They all saw her as mom but when he looked into her eyes, it was obvious she only saw Yuya.

That's not fair.

It would be like that with everybody.

Rin and Ruri hated Joeri and barely knew Yuya. Rin would see Hugo. Ruri would see Ute.

Kurosaki (was he allowed to call him Shun?) was confused by Yuya and saw Joeri as the enemy while was undecided with Hugo. He would ignore everything else just to see Ute again.

Gongenzaka was steadfast and unmoving in both belief and combat. He would be accepting but would only see Yuya.

Dennis was a trickster but he was Joeri's contact (he was Joeri's friend). He would see Joeri regardless.

Selena was objective, she was Academia. She knew of each of them but didn't _know_ any of them. Maybe he could…no. She would see Joeri. She had worked with Yuya and had duelled against Hugo but she would see Joeri.

Yuzu…Yuzu knew them all as separate people. Two friends, an enemy and a brother in everything but blood. She would see Yuya and Ute and Hugo and Joeri…but separately, not together. He would stay away from her, for her sake.

Everyone would see only part of him or see him as four. No one would see him as one.

He wanted to cry.

But a good soldier doesn't cry.

Crying would only draw the attention of Security.

It showed weakness that wasn't needed on the battlefield.

The audience didn't want to see the entertainer cry.

"HA! HA! HA!"

So he laughed instead.

He laughed.

They laughed.

 _We laughed._

 _I laughed._

But tears still fell.

Arms wrapped around him. Holding him. Hugging him. Comforting him.

He laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. She let him. Let the tears fall.

He calmed down eventually and she was still there. She was Yoko Sakaki. She may not see all of him but she cared for all of him. She was mom.

Mom cradled his face, gently wiping away his tears with her thumb.

"Who do you want to be?" She asked.

"I want to be me." Me was being loyal to a cause, taking things as they come, not letting oppression overcome, making people smile. Me was cruel and reckless and angry and naïve.

She doesn't try to understand because it's too much for her to understand but she nods and accepts. She is mom.

"Then be you."

And he who is Yuya and Ute and Hugo and Joeri all in one falls into a peaceful sleep in his mother's arms.

{~~~}

A little something in relation to a picture of a Yu-boy's amalgamation I drew a while back on my tumblr page. Life is being life so updates will be slow.

WIP:

Because of Memories Forgotten: a manga!au with Yuzu, Yuya, Yuto, Yugo and Yuri are kids. Based off the prompts by guest Martyn.

Because of Recklessness: Joeri fails to kidnap Rin because of Hugo's intervention but that does not make everything better. Based off the prompt by GenderbendShapeShifter.

Not Beyond Space and Time: Yuya is Yugi, Joeri is Judai, Hugo is Yusei and Ute is Yuma. All plots basically happen simultaneously.

Not in a Day 3: Joeri can see duel spirits. Rin and Ruri's are particularly annoying.

Not quite the same 2: the Lancers + one in the Synchro Dimension. Team Satisfaction exists and Rodger has less of a grip on his power.

Not So Mysterious: a Gravity Falls AU that is taking way too long to write(wait, that applies to everything).


	8. Dimension-Hopping Troubles

Because of Recklessness

Summary: One thoughtless act can change everything. Hugo's charge prevents Joeri from kidnapping Rin but that is only the start of their troubles.

Based on the prompt from GenderbendShapeShifter.

All other requested/prompted fics will also be titled "Because" instead of "Not".

{~~~}

Hugo knew that he could be reckless. Rin had badgered his millions of times to stay focused, to not let his emotions get the better of him.

They both knew that a focused Hugo was a smart Hugo and a smart Hugo was a force to be reckoned with. All he needed to do was to stay calm and think.

But he couldn't think. Not with Rin slung over a grinning bastard's shoulder.

Hugo was reckless.

'Violet Fl-"

"Where do you think you're taking Rin, you bastard?!"

And so he charged.

There was a flash.

The alley was empty.

And so a new course was set for the pendulum of fate.

{~~~}

Rin had no idea where she was but it was definitely nowhere in the City, Tops or Commons. There was no way it could be the City.

The sky was coloured ash grey. The air was musty with a distinct smell of metal and gunpowder. Everything was in ruins, no building was whole. Broken windows, collapsed walls and rubble littering the street… it was the perfect picture of the end.

Rin desperately hoped that this was another place, another world, another dimension…anything except their future.

She was alone. Their D-Wheel was here, Hugo's deck too, but no sign of Hugo or that evil bastard of a lookalike.

Rin mounted their D-Wheel and revved the engine. Good, at least it still worked. The rumble of their hard work calmed her. It was familiar, a safety net in this alien world, and she lost herself in the sound as images of destruction blurred around her.

Had she passed anyone? Who knows, who cares. There was no way that this could be real. It had to dream, a twisted nightmare. Maybe if she drove far enough, fast enough, she would wake up in her room back in the City Commons, Hugo snoring in the next bed over and their D-Wheel stowed away in the garage.

Yes, Rin could hear their caretaker calling for them, it was their turn to help with breakfast after all. Hugo's snores were ridiculously loud but he was a light sleeper. He would be the first to wake up. His snores would come to a sudden stop and he would moan and splutter as he stumbled out of bed. Maybe he would get tangled in his blanket and fall onto the floor. If the proceeding thump hadn't woken her up, she could count of a more conscious Hugo to.

"Rin!"

"Rin!"

"Rin!"

Her eyes fluttered shut, she would be home again and this weird dream of kidnappers and wasted cities would soon be over.

But someone stumbled onto the road.

Rin's eyes flicked open and she brought the D-Wheel to a screeching halt.

She was still in these ruins. She had nearly run someone over. This was real.

The engine died and she slumped over the duel console.

Rin had duelled an evil Hugo who used an unknown summoning method called 'fusion'. She had lost. Hugo had tried to rescue her. Both boys had disappeared. She was alone and had no idea where she was.

"Are…are you okay?"

She looked up, wiping away half formed tears. It was the person she almost ran over. Someone about her age, she guessed, dressed in tattered jeans and a green polo. A grey cloak was over his shoulders and his face hidden by a mask and goggles.

While to her the boy was someone completely foreign, there was a spark of recognition behind the glass.

"Ruri?"

What?

"Ruri...you're alive..." The boy's voice was quiet, filled with hope and disbelief. "You're alive." He reaches out and brushes his hand against her cheek. "You're real, you're alive..."

The boy stumbled into Rin, catching her in a clumsy hug. He sobs into her shoulder and said no more.

The sheer amount of relief and joy flowing from the boy made Rin wish that she actually was this 'Ruri', less shatter his hope. But she wasn't Ruri, she was Rin and this wasn't her world.

She grabbed the boy by his shoulders and gently pushed him off her. His goggles are half filled with water, implying that he'd been crying.

"I'm sorry..." Rin said.

The boy flinched and backed away, already predicting what she was going to say. "No..." he muttered.

"I'm not Ruri."

"But...but you have to be." He said, faint and desperate. "I know what Ruri looks like...we've known each other for years..." His stance rocked as if he couldn't decide whether to step forward or back. "You have to be her..."

Rin wanted to comfort him, maybe even lie and say she was Ruri, but in circumstances like this a mistaken identity would only get her into more trouble. "I'm sorry but I don't know you. I've never seen you before in my life..."

"But you have!" And the boy tears off his mask and goggles, tears streaming down his face...a face she knew all too well.

"Hugo?" the name fell out instinctively. She would have thought so too if it weren't for the near kidnapping only moments ago.

The boy's face darkened and his feet steadied. " _Yuugou_..." he snarled.

Rin huffed. " _Yuugo_ not _Yuugou_." It was a common mistake that often sent Hugo ranting and she herself had gotten into the habit of correcting.

" _Yuugou_... did this to you..." he raised his duel disk arm, crouching in an offensive stance.

Rin sat up, properly mounting their D-Wheel. " _Yuugo_ did nothing to me." She didn't have her own deck but she had Hugo's. She would have to knock some sense into this lookalike.

"I'm sorry Ruri..."

With a single swipe, both duel disks activated.

"DUEL!"

{~~~}

For an evil kidnapping bastard, his lookalike could hold himself in hand-to-hand combat. He was decent even. He moved with a skill and elegance that just screamed Tops, not the snooty kind that always wore fancy clothes and stuff but the kind that earned their place at the top of the social ladder. Had this been any other time, Hugo would be begging the guy teach him some of his techniques. Instead, he just threw another punch at that grinning face.

The bastard dodged with ease before sweeping at Hugo's legs. He leapt over it and ducked an oncoming fist that anticipated his move before retaliating with a punch to his opponent's chest. Hugo stumbled back as the lookalike flipped out of his range, landing gracefully a couple metres away.

"Ne, you're good…for Synchro scum." He said.

"Shut it, you bastard!" Hugo said, charging at him.

The other simply sidestepped out of his path before tripping him over a booted foot.

One snarled while the other laughed.

"You are so _entertaining_. If only I could keep you, we could have so much fun…but sadly…" His lookalike activated his shield-like duel disk, producing a holographic blade. "I have a job to do."

Hugo scrambled to his feet and took several steps back. He could hold his own in a fist fight but against Solid Vision?

No way, not without a deck and duel disk of him own.

Hugo was reckless, but not stupid.

He ran just as his doppelganger drew several cards. His best bet for survival now was to get the hell away before something deadly was summoned. Besides he had the field advantage. Hugo knew the City Commons like the back of his hand, he had to if he wasn't going to get caught by Security.

But then he ran into a canal.

There were no canals in the Commons.

There were no canals in the City _period._

So why was there flowing water where there should be cracked pavement?!

For the first time since he charged at his lookalike, Hugo took a good look at his surroundings. There were buildings but they weren't as slick or tall or as many, only reaching a couple stories high in a rural style he had only seen picture books. The road was well paved with stone bricks and the sky was so blue, no smogs of pollution in sight.

Where in the world was he?

Steady footsteps alerted him that someone was coming. Hugo turned and saw his smug bastard of a counterpart stalking towards him, a cruel grin on his face and a monstrous purple dragon in tow.

If only he had Clear Wing.

Hugo prepared himself for any banter the bastard had ready but no words were traded. Only a slick tail slamming into him, feeling too solid to just be a hologram, knocking him into the brick wall across the canal. He crumpled on contact and fell into the water.

Hugo tried to maintain his grip on consciousness but his chest hurt. He had to have a broken rib or two, maybe even a dislocated shoulder or something.

As his mind began to flicker and sight blur, Hugo felt someone dragging him out of the water. He tried spluttering but his entire body felt limp. He then saw a face, cold and emotionless, but a face he knew all too well.

"Rin…" he muttered as he fell into darkness.

{~~~}

"Spread those beautiful wings and take flight! Synchro summon…level seven! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Ute watched as his opponent's two monsters disappeared in a flurry of rings and a beam of light, replaced by the white dragon glaring down at him. The monster didn't come from her hand, graveyard or main deck but rather her xyz deck but that was no xyz monster. Its materials were a level three and a level four while the dragon itself still had a level instead of a rank. The card on her duel-disk-motorcycle contraption was also white instead of black.

This was the Academia and fusion all over again.

"How…how in the world did you do that?" Ute said while checking his field for any way to counter the new monster. A twenty-five hundred attacker would be able to run over his _Phantom Knights of the Break Sword_ with no problem. "Is this _Yuugou's_ new weapon?"

The girl shot him a confused look. "New weapon? Synchro summoning has been around for ages." At his own confusion she sighed. "With a tuner and non-tuner monster, you can special summon a monster from the synchro deck whose levels is equal to the sum of the materials…and for the last time, it's _Yuugo_ not _Yuugou!"_

As much as it pained him, this girl wasn't Ruri. He had noticed the inconsistencies earlier but he didn't want to acknowledge them. Her hair was shorter, her speech was rougher and she lacked the bird-like grace in her movement. Ute would have admitted his mistake but the lookalike's adamant defence for fusion meant that she had to be Academia.

And Academia could call forth another new type of monster.

" _Clear Wing,_ attack _Break Sword… Spin Storm Strike!"_

The dragon rammed into his knight and with his other _Phantom Knights_ already banished, Ute could do nothing but watch as the monster was destroyed. His lifepoints fell by five hundred points while duel disk beeped, alerting him of the timing for _Break Sword's_ effect.

"When _Break Sword_ is destroyed, I can special summon two _Phantom Knights_ monsters from my graveyard with the same level then increase their level by one!" Ute declared, searching his graveyard for his targets. "Be revived, _Phantom Knights of the Silent Boots_ and _Phantom Knights of the Ancient Cloak!_ "

The two ghostly creatures materialised on his field, glowing with an ethereal light. _Break Sword's_ former materials were now level four.

Not-Ruri scanned her field then scowled. "I end." She turned to him with an almost pained look. "It should be obvious now…"

"You're…not Ruri…" Ute said.

She smiled. For an Academia invader she looked so human, so much like Ruri…"So maybe this duel could-"

"No! I will not surrender to the likes of you!" He had no reason to hold back anymore. This girl was Academia, he couldn't hold back because she looked like his missing friend. "Draw!"

A familiar rage boiled deep in his soul. _Rebellion_ was calling for release. Ute feared to power that came when his dragon evolved but to drive the invaders out of his home, he was willing to fall into darkness.

"With _Phantom Knights of the Silent Boots_ and _Phantom Knights of the Ancient Cloak,_ I build the overlay network! You'll regret the Academia ever sent you here!"

"What in the world is the Academia?"

"Don't you dare try to trick me again! You've said so yourself, you're _Yuugou_ therefore you're part of Academia!"

"How many times-!"

"Enough talk! From the pitch-black darkness, rise up against the foolish oppression and destroy! Xyz summon…rank four! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

From the swirling vortex of stars, his dragon emerged cloaked in lightening and Ute felt it returning. The anger, the rage that had consumed him many other times before…and the other dragon was responding?

Yes it was.

The white dragon was calling out to _Rebellion,_ to _him_.

To become one.

To be whole.

To _destroy._

But the duellist…wasn't part of _him._

She was part of _her._

 _She_ wasn't to be part of this… _she_ couldn't…never…

"Ute!"

Someone was calling…

"Ute!"

He knew that voice…

"Ute!"

…Shun?

Ute snapped back to his senses. He was back at base, the building that had once been their duel school.

But how…?

He was in one of the makeshift cots and there were others beside Shun here with him. Allen, Sayaka, Kaito…wait, why were members of the Clovers Branch here?

"What's going on?" Ute said, slowly sitting up. He felt stiff but no pain.

"We were going to ask you the same question." Allen said. "There was an explosion and we found you just…standing there."

"You weren't responding at all." Sayaka said. "It was like you were possessed."

Shun sent him a sharp look and Ute nodded in response. The Kurosaki's were the only ones who knew of his lapses and he preferred to keep it that way.

"It was Academia." Kaito said. It was a blunt statement. He was concerned but showing it now was not the priority.

Ute nodded. "I encountered a duellist who claimed to be allied with Fusion…but she didn't use fusion. She summoned another type of monster from the xyz deck. Synchro she called it."

"Synchro…" Kaito pondered. "One of the Clovers teacher once mentioned a summoning method called 'synchro'… come to think about it, he also talked about fusion before the invasion."

"Teacher Sakaki?" Sayaka said.

"We should contact him." Shun said. "If he has more information on this new summoning…"

Allen scoffed. "You won't be able to. The coward disappeared during the initial waves. He's either carded or beyond our reach."

Sakaki…that name sounded familiar for some reason. Ute shook his head, dispelling any wondering thoughts. He needed to stay focused.

"There was another thing about the duellist…" But Ute's voice faded away, he wasn't too sure if he should tell them, tell Shun, about the lookalike. He turned to his friend. "You might not like this."

"Say it." Shun said curtly. "If it's something that could give us an upper hand, you shouldn't keep it to yourself." It was slightly hypocritical coming from him, considering Shun was the one who encourage Ute to keep his 'berserker mode' a secret.

"The duellist…she looked, no, she was identical to Ruri."

Shun's eyes widened and he staggered back. "What?"

"The Fusion Pawn, she was a carbon copy of Ruri." Ute said, remembering his encounter with the duellist. "I thought she was Ruri that was…until I duelled her."

"Are you sure it wasn't just Ruri brainwashed or something?" Allen said.

Ute shook his head. "No, the similarities were only skin deep. The things that made Ruri Ruri, the small things, weren't there."

"But there's no way that's possible…"

"It is." Sayaka interjected, her soft statement cutting off whatever else Allen was going to say. "When…" She stopped and turned away.

"Go on." Kaito coaxed. "What do you know Sayaka?"

"I should have told you all earlier but…but I was scared." Her eyes fell on Shun. It was obvious now. She knew something about Ruri's disappearance, something she had been hiding. "I thought it was impossible but if it happened to Ute too…"

She turned to Ute with a hint of fear in her eyes. "Ruri didn't just disappear. Academia did kidnap her. I was there. I would've helped but the duellist…"

A shiver ran down Ute's spine. If she saw what he thought she saw…

"The duellist looked just like Ute. A Ute who could use fusion kidnapped Ruri."

{~~~}

Her teacher's eyes widened. "Yuya?"

He scrambled to his feet too fast and would have stumbled if he hadn't grabbed his cane in time.

The boy in questioned looked just as confused as Asuka was.

"Umm…have we met before Mr.?" The boy said.

The man's face fell. "You…don't remember me?"

"He doesn't remember anything." Asuka informed him. "I found him at the docks, unconscious and severely injured. He apparently has amnesia."

"Oh…if that's the case…" Her teacher straightened his stance, or as far as his body would let him given his injury. "Is it okay if I have a moment alone with our guest?"

Asuka glanced at the boy who still looked as lost as ever. She was reluctant to leave a stranger alone with her teacher but the pleading tone in his voice…

"Of course."

She left the room and wondered down the hall, far enough not to be seen or heard but close enough to come to her teacher's aid should the boy be whom he suspected.

People didn't just appear unconscious on the docks, especially not someone who looked like they just fled from Academia. The boy had no deck or duel disk on him yet he was dressed in Osiris Red and there was no way he would have just been left there in such a state. The boy should have been carded or hauled back to island. But he wasn't and with his convenient claim of memory loss, the boy had to be a spy.

It was so obvious. The Academia knew that they wouldn't pass by someone in need of help but this…this was just plain stupid. If they wanted to effectively plant a spy, they should have made him less suspicious like have him be chased by Juvenile Officers or something not just dump him at their doorstep.

But the sheer ridiculousness of the situation…it made her doubt. The boy could have honestly fled the island, unlucky enough to lose his deck but lucky enough not to be caught when he collapsed…

And teacher's reaction…

Asuka would stay on her guard. That boy was an anomaly. Until she was absolutely certain that he wasn't going to double cross them, she would be ready to subdue him.

{~~~}

She glared at him, the famed cold glare that whipped the fierce Obelisk Force in line and had even unnerved the strictest of teachers. Rumours had it that even the Professor flinched at the Captain's glare.

Not that it bothered Joeri at all.

"You do know there are other ways of admiring my beauty." Joeri said. "A photograph maybe?"

She scowled sitting up straighter in her chair. "What did you do with him?"

"With who, Captain?" He said innocently with a flutter of eyelashes. "The first year with a stutter? The new alchemy teacher?"

"You know exactly who I mean." The Captain was definitely trying not to raise her voice. Her words were blunt yet sharp, quite the deadly weapon.

She wanted to get this meeting over with but Joeri wanted to play a little longer.

"Oh! You must mean that Obelisk-"

She stood up and slammed her hands into her desk. "Where is the Synchro boy?!"

"You meant him? Why didn't you say so sooner?" He rocked on his heels as the Captain seethed. "He's on the mainland." Joeri smiled, waiting for her to explode, that was always fun to watch.

But she didn't, instead she sat back down and returned to her professional persona as Captain of the Obelisk Force. "You let the only lead to your failed mission escape? The Professor won't be pleased."

Joeri rooted his feet. That was a low blow. "The mission is not a failure. It is simply in progress."

"But you came back with a doppelganger with your target's location unknown when previously she was in Academia-controlled territory? That sounds like a failure to me. " She leaned back into her chair and chuckled. "Then again, what else is there to expect when you entrust something of such importance to an Osiris Red?"

Joeri bit back a remark. Power was the name of this game and control was the key. "It's all according to my plan, Captain, to rid of two birds with one stone."

"What plan?"

He grinned, though she could easily gain the upper hand in this little game, she had never been able to hold it for long. "A plan that requires patience and cunning, Captain. You cannot expect peaches after only planting the seed."

The Captain sighed and rubbed her temples. "Fine, do your little 'plan'. Just next time, follow procedures. Do it again and I'll have you do the paperwork."

"Oh no!" He cried dramatically. "Whatever shall I do? The horror, the horror of paperwork!"

Her lips twitched slightly. "You are dismissed, Joeri."

Joeri dropped his dramatics and gave a low bow. This was his victory. "As you order, Captain Selena."


	9. If Team Sat was in Arc V

Not quite the same (but card games are still on motorcycles)

Summary: The Lancers are off to the Synchro Dimension with one extra. It's unlikely they'll find anyone to aid them in the war though. A revolution is brewing and at the spearhead is Team Satisfaction.

A continuation from chapter 2 and where this AU begins to diverge from canon.

Reminders for this AU:

Yuzu and Hugo are unchanged.

Selena is a guy called Artemis and Joeri is a girl.

Ute and Ruri are in their late teens/early twenties.

Yuya and Rin are both eleven.

There is no three year break between Fusion Invasion of Xyz/Yusho's disappearance.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Exam period is coming up soon and I haven't had much time. I'll probably now be focusing on a different story but I'll still post a new oneshot every now and then or a least finish the stories I've started.

{~~~}

Sometimes, Reiji wondered what amounted to good parenting. With an absent father planning an interdimensional war and a cold detached mother, he thought that Sakaki Yuya had the ideal relationship with his own parents. Even if one was missing and the other was a former mob boss.

Little Sakaki nodded attentively as the boy's mother, the feared Shooting Star, gave him a run down of motherly advice and concern.

"Now always stay with one of the older kids, preferably Noboru. He's the biggest of the bunch and no sane man would mess with him."

"Yes mom."

"Otherwise stick with the ninja. They're an honourable bunch as long as your friends with their lord."

"And ninjas are cool!"

She gave a gentle smile at the childish outburst (and not a chilling scowl). "And they are skilled protectors that will keep you safe."

The boy pouted, looking even younger than his eleven years. "But I don't need protection!" He protested. "I've got Odd-Eyes and the Magicians and even Rebellion to back me up."

The Shooting Star looked tired with a hint of frustration, but was careful not to reveal it to Sakaki. Apparently, this conversation was a continuation from before. "Yes but who will protect you outside of a duel? Not all bad people play card games." Her voice was so…soft, so jarring next to her long coat and biker gear.

(Amazing considering the amount of raw anger Reiji had been subjected to the previous day. Was it normal for parents to hold back on such emotions?)

Sakaki picked up on the hidden emotions immediately and dropped his protests. The boy may have the tendency to be childish but he had a maturity beyond his years (and that made Reiji just a little less guilty about sending him off to war). "I'll stick with Gongenzaka…and Big Bro promised to keep me safe even if there's no one else. Otherwise," a cheeky grin spread across Sakaki's face. "I'll hit those bastards were the sun don't shine! I won't forget your lessons."

The elder Sakaki grinned in approval and ruffled her son's hair.

And Reiji shuddered at the thought of what else that woman could have taught her boy.

"I believe that it is time to make our jump." Reiji announced, hoping that he wouldn't have to deal with burning rubber for cutting the Sakaki family moment short. He was the leader of the Lancers, he will not show his fear of one woman.

The Lancers assembled, jumping from their various states of nervousness and false calm to attentiveness. Sakaki shrugged on a travel pack nearly as big as he was and joined the rest of the group. But his mother wasn't leaving.

"Is something that matter, Mrs Sakaki?" Reiji asked, mentally preparing himself for any death threats that may come his way.

"I'm coming with you." She was the fierce Shooting Star now, not an overprotective mother.

Reiji opened his mouth, ready with a slew of arguments about why she cannot come (other than the fact she was downright terrifying), but she cuts him off before he could say a word.

"What have you told Mrs Mokota about her son?"

The Shooting Star hits hard and straight to the point. Reiji would have preferred dodging a motorcycle than facing the casualties of his crusade. What he had told Michio Mokota's mother of her son's fate: nothing. What would he have told the family of his Lancers should anything happen to them: also nothing. Such words would lower moral and Standard needed every fighter it could get to stand up to the oncoming invaders.

But what of the mothers and fathers? Of the friends and rivals? Of the brothers and sisters?

The Lancers were listening, waiting for his response. Kurosaki in particular, who had already lost everything dear to him, and Artemis as well, who was still shaking off the Academia's teachings.

Would his mother have cared if anything happened to him or Reira? Yes, but only as a mild inconvenience. Akaba Himika had been cheated out of her promise of power by her megalomaniac of a husband and everything around her was a tool for her revenge. The company, the war, her children…

Reiji tossed the Shooting Star a copy of _Dimensional Mover_ and she activated her duel disk along with the rest.

Now things were back on the plan.

{~~~}

Yuzu was flying. The wind curved around her as she sped across the sky. She was holding onto something. Rough, patchy and leather-like. Worn with age and what felt like stitched tears over too bony flesh. Maybe she was on a dragon's back. One with magnificent wings spread across the sky. Or maybe it was flightless and earthbound like Odd-Eyes.

Odd-Eyes...

Odd-Eyes...

Yuya!

Yuzu's eyes flicked open. She wasn't flying. She was on a highway of some sort and definitely not in Miami.

And she was still moving.

"Oi, you awake back there?" There was someone in front of her, someone she was slumped over. He was driving a... motorcycle? How did she get here?

"It's hard enough driving as it is so please don't start struggling." Male, a boy about her age...he shouldn't be able to drive a motorcycle yet. "Hey, I know you're probably scared and don't know where you are but hold on tight." His voice was calming and with the gentle lull of the bike, Yuzu started drifting off to sleep.

"Once we get out of the Tops, I'll explain everything."

"You better." She muttered, closing her eyes to a foreign cityscape.

Hugo sighed as his passenger fell asleep. She was older and dressed like a dude but there was something about her that reminded him of Rin. He couldn't have left her unconscious in that weird arctic dimension.

Rin...

His grip tightened over the handlebar. She was still missing and he had no leads to where she might be.

Hugo swerved off the bright highway and into the dark alleys of the Commons. He had to be careful with his turns. If this girl was anything like Rin, she would be a ridiculously light sleeper.

He just crossed his fingers and hoped that she would be what he needed to find his Rin.

{~~~}

Trash.

That was his first impression of the Synchro dimension. The buildings were falling apart and the roads in terrible condition. There was a lingering smell of rot and garbage littered the street. Men, women, children, were huddled in corners and doorways dressed in rags and above all this poverty were flashing neon lights and towering skyscrapers.

Artemis was beginning to doubt his defection from the Academia. It was this inequality that the Professor aimed to shatter with the fusing of the dimensions.

 _But did that justify the invasion of the Xyz Dimension?_ A little voice chirped (and sounded oddly like Kurosaki).

The interdimensional leap had separated the Lancers. He spied a blond head attempting to wrestle his way out of a garbage can and the two youngest duellists dragging an oversized travel pack out of the trash heap. There was no one else around. No ninjas or acrobats or samurais or even Kurosaki or Akaba Reiji.

Artemis was left on babysitting duty.

He pulled the floundering flop out of the trash and grabbed the pack from the two boys. It was heavier than he expected (and he wondered how the tomato kid was able to carry it in the first place) but nothing he couldn't handle. Osiris training had prepared him for worse.

"Come on." Artemis said. When separated from the main party, the next soldier in rank was to take charge. With the other members of his group being a spoiled brat and a pair of children, Artemis was left to lead. "We need to find a secure location to make base as well as consumable water. Then we will attempt to contact Akaba. Should that fail, we will continue with our mission and find allies to aid us."

He strode out of the alley and onto the cracked sidewalk. Part of him wondered how the Academia could have made this all better while another wondered how it could be made worse.

The other boys, because they were no soldiers, fell in line behind him. The tomato kid (Sasaki? Sakasi?) was trying to comfort the younger Akaba while the blond (his name was Sawatari, right?) was muttering something about his father.

Ra training presided that they should be keeping to the shadows and out of plain sight but it was unlikely that the others had any training in stealth. A quick scan of their surroundings alerted Artemis of how much they stuck out. Despite their clothes being slightly dirty from their earlier fall, they were diamonds in a coal heap compared to the locals' threadbare rags and hollow cheeks. It was only a matter of time before they'd be attack by thugs or bandits.

There was a thundering roar and the Lancers were surrounded by a motorcycle gang.

' _Looks like we didn't have to wait too long for the welcoming party.'_ Artemis thought, dropping the pack and readying his duel disk.

Behind him, Sawatari was panicking while tomato-head and mini-Akaba huddled closer together but like himself had their duel disks ready for combat. Maybe those two weren't going to be liabilities after all.

"Well what do we have here, fellas." One of the bikers, probably the leader, sneered.

"A bunch of Tops brats out exploring by the looks of it." Another said.

"Then let's give our _young masters_ a warm Commons greeting."

A duel blade materialised from the leader's motorcycle and the rest followed suit. Apparently the rumours of Synchro using automobiles for duelling were true.

Filing the words _Commons_ and _Tops_ for later analysis, Artemis activated his own duel disk as did the other Lancers.

" _Action Field activate: Crossover."_ A mechanical voice said as the area was covered with Solid Vision and holographic platforms appeared. He had forgotten about Standard's specialty.

They Lancers leapt onto higher ground while the bikers were still dazed. They had to make use of all their advantages.

"Looks like we found ourselves some Security brats." The leader said. "Fancy yourselves officers, kiddies? You're playing with the big boys now!"

"Shut up and duel." Artemis snarled, drawing his opening hand and taking the first turn. He could interrogate these hooligans when he wins. "I summon-"

A whistle sounded and the bikers froze, looking frightened.

"Shit, the brats called in big daddy for help. Get ready to hold your ground!"

The decision among the bikers was unanimous. The opposing duel disks were no longer aimed at them but at the sky and roads. Helicopters and vans, clearly labelled 'SECURITY', surrounded them, spewing out helmeted men in blue uniform. Like the bikers, some had their duel disks attached to motorcycles. It must be something common in this dimension.

"What should we do?" Tomato asked clutching mini-Akaba's hand.

That was a good question. The officers appeared solely focused on the bikers but that could all change with a tip of the hat.

 _They are enemies until proven otherwise._ His Academia training recited.

"We see what they want." Artemis said quietly. "But be prepared to retreat."

"But they're police!" Sawatari protested. "They've got to be on our side. We're the good guys! The Lancers!"

"This isn't Standard, Sawatari." Artemis said. "We don't know anything about this city. We can't go around trusting anyone without knowing their motives."

Sawatari looked as if he wanted to say more but one of the officers approached them.

The officer smiled kindly, almost condescending. "The Sacred Beasts have been resealed."

It was code. _We are allies. Follow us to regroup._ Academia code.

No.

Artemis activated the _Polymerization_ in his hand, summoning his _Lunalight Cat Dancer._ The monster lunged at the officer, knocking him back and drawing blood.

"They're with the Academia!" Artemis yelled.

The officer growled. "Arrest them!"

{~~~}

Hugo scowled. Of all the things that it could have been, it had to be that.

"Seriously, Saiga? Cabbages?"

The stall owner shrugged, twiddling a toothpick between his lips. He knew Saiga would have preferred a cigarette but the older man didn't want his bad habits catching onto the younger kids. "Hey, they're in season. Be glad that it's fresh veggies today than some canned or pickled shit."

"But they're cabbages. Purple cabbages." Hugo protested.

"If you don't like it, don't buy." Saiga pulled the toothpick from his mouth like he was taking a drag.

Hugo glared at the violet heads. Cabbages were the most disgusting vegetable in the world...but they were fresh and not covered in mould. Who knows when something like this will turn up in the Commons again?

"I'll take three kilos." This was for the kids. He could stomach a couple of weeks off that stuff if it meant the others were getting something healthy in their systems.

"That's the boy." Saiga filled a pair of paper bags. "Anything else?"

He grabbed a half beaten can of tomatoes, some aging eggplants and an expired pack of banana chips. "That should be it."

Saiga bagged the rest of the goods and Hugo passed his payment: a rusty tool kit. Actual money was literally an arm and a leg so most people had to barter.

Saiga raised a brow. "Didn't you say that your runner have a giant dint on the side?"

"If it's food or my runner, it's going to be food." Hugo said. "At least with that, I can throw black market junk into it. Can't do the same with kids."

"Martha's lucky to still have you around."

"Meh. I owe the lady. I'd be walking the streets if it weren't for her. Besides, the others still come about: Shinji with his bags of sweets, Crow and his 'liberated' goods..." Hugo smiled, gathering up the groceries.

But Saiga wasn't as amused. "Having a bunch of revolutionaries around is never too good, especially Team Satisfaction members. Speaking of revolutionaries..." The man's gaze drifted to the main square and Hugo's eyes followed.

Teen-Rin, Yuzu, was there on an old crate. She was wearing one of his old hoodies and had her back to Saiga's stall, yelling to those passing by.

"That kid's been out there hollering about some war for the past week." Saiga said, flicking his pick. So that was where she had been disappearing to. "Kind of like that time with the spider cult except no one's paying any attention."

"Hey! She's my only lead to finding Rin." But Hugo knew where Saiga was coming from. If Clear Wing hadn't been teleporting him all over the place, Hugo would have found the idea of an interdimensional war completely screwy.

"Really?" The stall owner didn't sound convinced but he tended to run with whatever. "Well you better keep an eye on her." He pulled a battered newspaper from under the counter. "Want to see who pissed off Security the most this month?"

Hugo grinned and peered over the edge to see the wanted posters. There was the notice asking citizens to dob in any troublemakers (not that anyone in the Commons did).

Most of the first page was the petty crimes: a theft here, a trespasser there and a couple idiots who threw trash at the Security buildings. Then it started getting to the real heavy hitters. Some were genuinely good people just trying to change the City for the better but ended up on the wrong side of Security while others were rotten to the core and deserved to be thrown into the Facility. There was a pedo scumbag from the Tops that he was sure to keep an eye out for, an ex-officer that joined the revolution and an entire page dedicated to Team Satisfaction.

Kiryu still had top dollar thanks to being the leader of the group, Crow had his standard breaking-and-entering, burglary and public nuisance charges, Shinji finally his own entry instead of being another face on the gang page and apparently some other guys rose through the rank: Uryu the insect guy (who wasn't technically part of Satisfaction but was just an ally/rival but Security never figured out the difference), some guy with banana-peel hair that he had never seen before and…

Shit.

How in the world…?

Saiga was quick to pick up on his shock. "Need the back room?"

He scanned the market square and sure enough, there was a pair of Security doing their rounds, showing off the latest wanted posters. Just his luck.

"Can you get the groceries back to Martha's? I don't think I'll be back for dinner tonight."

Hugo was certain he kept Yuzu out of Security's sight: avoiding any hidden cameras, keeping their heads down as low as possible and he was sure she didn't even know who Team Satisfaction was.

Damn…this was no time for thinking.

Hugo dashed across the square, and probably bowled over a couple dozen people but hey this was an emergency.

Yuzu was still caught up in her big speech. "We need to act now! Fuse-Hugo! What's the big idea?"

"Explain later. Go _now."_ He pulled her off the crate and dragged her back to the stall, this time people got out of their way and there was less bumping a bruising.

He was glad that he didn't bring his runner with him today. That crash into the streetlight was a little too close to the Momentum core for comfort and he didn't want it breaking down, or worse exploding, while he was riding so it had been left back home. If it were here, Hugo's first instinct would be to jump on and ride off with Security hot on their tails.

Turning the corner into the alley behind Saiga's stall, Hugo led Yuzu through a door hanging on its last hinges and ducked behind one of the many dusty crates.

"What's going on?" Yuzu asked.

"Sector Security, that's what. Now duck down!" He pulled her down behind the crate and covered her mouth. "I'll explain as soon as they're gone."

She glared at him, most likely annoyed by running, ducking and waiting for explanations. Hugo would be too but she was an outsider and his only link to Rin, he couldn't let anything happen to her.

The heavy footsteps and muffled words signalled that Security was interrogating Saiga outside. Corrupt as they were, most officers tended to be civil and leave you alone…especially if you threw obnoxious slang at them.

"You see a pair kids run through here?"

"I won't play stoolpigeon with rozzers, I won't. Ain't seen any chavies 'round 'ere."

"What?"

"Chavies now-a-days, either blaging or bug hunting…heart-swearing coves can't make any chinks with 'em swinging their tails and walking the streets…"

"Uh…"

"Rozzers working in the rookery…dragon's kisses you lot are, dragon's kisses!"

"…Thank you sir…"

"We should be leaving…"

"Then go on you mother-loving buddyboys! Slip those chavies and do us coves good!"

Yuzu's brows were furrowed in confusion while Hugo had to cover his own mouth to stop himself laughing. Good old Commons Talk. Always changing and Security never bothers to learn any of it.

Saiga entered the back room, flicking a toothpick to the side on his way in. "The streets are swept, kids." He said in his normal voice rather than the scratchy half-drunk tone from earlier. "Those buddyboys are clouding by now."

Hugo took in a gulp of air, trying not to burst out laughing. "Thanks Saiga, I owe you big time. It's been so long since I heard some Talk. But you're going to have to talk straight, Yuzu's not from around here."

"Tops?"

"Outsider."

"But an outsider in Team Satisfaction?"

"She's got nothing to do with Team Satisfaction."

"Can someone explain what's going on?!" Yuzu yelled. "What's with 'buddyboys' and 'chavies'? Security is the police right? Shouldn't they be helping people in trouble?"

Oh right. She was right next to him. Didn't Martha say it was rude to talk about someone but not to them when they were in the same room?

The old shopkeeper sighed. "Security does help…if you're from the Tops or if you've got cash or connections. You do at least know what the Tops and Commons are, right?"

Yuzu nodded. "Yeah, the City's divided by wealth and social standing with ninety-nine percent of it all owned by the one percent that's the Tops. It's wrong and unfair."

"And a lot of the Commons will agree with you on that. Tension's been building for years. Smile Chojiro's arrest, the development of Riding Duels, the new Security Director…it's all about to burst, sooner or later."

"Some of the older guys from the orphanage decided to make the burst happen sooner." Hugo said. "They made themselves a group, Team Satisfaction, for the liberation of the Commons."

"And are you a part of it?" Yuzu asked.

"Nah, too messy." And as much as Hugo did want to join the revolution, he still had Rin. It wouldn't do her any good if all her role-models were troublemakers. Hugo pulled out the newspaper and opened it to the wanted posters. "…but according to this, you are."

"Sawatari and Artemis!" Yuzu exclaimed. "But how did they get here?"

"Maybe the same way you did." Because the other-him probably had a dimension-hopping dragon because why not? "But how did they get mixed up with Team Satisfaction?"

"I have no idea." Yuzu stared at the photographs of banana-peel guy and her doppelganger. "Do you think we can find them?"

"I don't think it would be a good idea looking for these friends of yours." Saiga interjected. "Joining up with them will just make you a target for Security. It would be best for you to keep your head down and maybe lay off the war talk."

Hugo had to agree with him there. As much as he wanted to help Yuzu find her friends, getting on Security's bad side was never an option. He had been able to last most of his life without a record or mark and he wasn't about to get one now.

But Yuzu was tearing up. Just like how Rin did whenever he came home with one too many bruises and a concussion. A mad-sort-of-angry sad that meant she was going to run off and do something on her own.

Even if he did want to help, Hugo had no idea where to start looking. He made sure that he had no idea where any of Team Satisfaction's bases were and the Common's was a pretty big place. But you don't get mixed up with Team Satisfaction if you weren't a duellist…

Hugo thinned his lips, hopefully this plan wouldn't backfire. "Hey, you know how duel disks let off a signal for wireless connection and stuff? Maybe if we track down your friends' signals we could locate them. We could use your duel signal to narrow it down since there probably aren't that many outsider signals around."

"Really?!" Her face lit up (and she looked so much like Rin).

He threw a glance at Saiga. He couldn't do this without the older man's help.

Saiga sighed. "Pass your duel disk here."

Yuzu looked confused. "Why? Aren't you just a shopkeeper?"

Hugo grinned. "He ain't just a shopkeeper. Saiga's Blister, the Jack of All Trades and the best bugging hacker in the entire City."

{~~~}

His opponent's lifepoints dropped to zero with a direct attack. There was a crackle as electricity jolted down the cord between them, short-circuiting his opponent's duel disk. The device sparked and his opponent crumbled to the ground, disk unusable with some burns probably underneath.

Shingo sighed, deactivating his duel disk and retracting the jamming cord. The holograms of his monsters faded away. Monarchs, not Abyss Actors.

Akaba had cautioned him about using pendulums, all of the Lancers actually. It wasn't much of a problem for most of their group. Artemis, Dennis and Gongenzaka had a couple cards customer made for their archetypes while Kurosaki and Tsukikage refused to use pendulums altogether. He and Yuya were the ones most affected by these restrictions. Not that they cared much. His little rival pinky promised he'll be careful about using pendulums while Shingo brought an extra deck.

This dimension was different but then again, what else was he expecting? The Tops-Commons split, the corrupted police force, the duel gangs…

A hand was placed on his shoulder. "Not too bad, outsider."

Shingo didn't need to turn to see who was behind him, this was a man too memorable to forget. "Of course! What else would you expect from the great Neo New Sawatari?" He fell back onto his bravado and ego. It was a bad idea to show any weakness around Team Satisfaction's leader.

Kiryu laughed, cold and cruel. "Now that's the spirit. If only everyone had this much enthusiasm." He tightened his grip and Shingo repressed the urge to flinch. "First we run out Security then we bring down the Tops and with you 'Lancers' as comrades…"

"Hey! Kiryu!"

The turned to see Artemis and another Team Satisfaction member, Shinji if he remembered correctly, approaching. Shingo took this as an opportunity to shake off Kiryu's grip. While he was grateful for the guy and his gang for getting them out of that mess with Security, there was something about the man that was plain unnerving.

"We've driven Security out of this Sector." Shinji reported. "They think they're strong but our bonds are stronger. The Commons will be liberated in no time!"

"There are rumours about a duellist using black cards." Artemis interjected, cutting short Shinji's jubilance. "It is most likely Dennis or Kurosaki, maybe even Akaba."

"Well let's grab Yuya and Reira and get going!" Shingo said. The sooner they were able to regroup, the sooner they could part ways with the duel gang.

"Don't be so hasty." Kiryu said, though it was more like a command. He stood taller and his eyes narrowed. "There's no guarantee that this 'black card duellist' is your friend. Who knows how many duellists could use black cards?"

"Three." Artemis said confidently. He squared his shoulders and locked his gaze on the pale man. "Black cards are not regularly used in this area, only from where we come from."

"Really?" Kiryu took several steps forward, staring down at the Fusion boy. "Because the last group that used black cards were part of a brainwashing cult."

"Impossible." Artemis scoffed. "There is-"

"Where did you say this duellist was?" Shingo said, stepping between the two. If there was one thing having a politician for a father was learning to read people and the atmosphere as well as the best way to defuse a situation. The last thing they needed was to antagonize their 'allies'.

"An underground stadium." The tension had dispersed, but it could easily be rekindled.

"Then let's go back to the base and grab the others. By showing our missing comrade how I've been able to keep us together, they would be inspired to join Team Satisfaction's cause." Shingo knew there were holes in his plan but it was the best he could do to appease both sides. If worse comes to worse, they could split from the gang if Yuya and Reira were with them.

"There's no need to head back to base." Kiryu said. "Damon will lead you to the Stadium to fetch your comrade."

Shingo was acquainted with Damon. He had been part of the group that had rescued them and was overall a friendly guy but he was completely loyal to Team Satisfaction and in turn Kiryu. Not good.

"We'll need to head back anyway. Yuya and Reira may be young but they're Lancers like us. They shouldn't be left out of the loop."

"Your kids are safe." Kiryu said, both as a reassurance and threat. "Crow will make sure nothing bad will happen to them. You have nothing to worry about."


	10. Sunflowers

A little something I found on my USB that was for an assignment yet somehow fits Joeri.

Not yet powerless

MY EYES ARE ACCUSTOMED TO THE DARK. It was the first thing I opened to in this twisted world. My _dear_ mother too ashamed to see the abomination she birthed. She pushed me out and left a babe without any swaddling clothes at nature's mercy.

Is my dear mother still alive?

Maybe yes. She made it back to her home town and lived the proper life of a housewife. No cursed child to worry about. No second thoughts spared for the babe she abandoned.

But then again, the wolves could have gotten her. Smelled the afterbirth and bleeding and found easy prey. Wailing and crying as sharp teeth dug into her flesh, gnawing at her bones until she was no different than an old corpse.

It's a fun thought to entertain, Mother Nature taking a mother that left her child to the elements, but then there was _that_ boy. That damned _reflection_.

My hands rub against cold stone, cooling my temper. No need to drift to those thoughts, not when I've shattered that reflection _permanently._

There's a rattle of steel as someone unlocks my cell, the sound bouncing off empty walls and lingering. This is one of the more annoying things about a big empty room. Not like my old cell, so small that I had to hug my knees to fit. It had been cramped but I hadn't mind. Smiling straight into those 'brave' guards and watching them tremble had been so much fun.

The footsteps are loud and echoy, ridiculously exaggerated. Great, _this_ fool again?

The guard stamps across my cell, making as much noise as possible in a futile attempt at intimidation. He drops something in front of me and it clatters against the stone floor.

'Dinner, blood-guzzler.' He says, all high mighty and arrogant. 'Enjoy it while you can. It'll be your last.'

'My last meal you say…' I inspect the contents of the tray. One thing is crusty and lumpy and rock-hard. A stale bread loaf. The other feels gritty and there are craters over its three faces. Cheese…maybe. I take a bite out of the 'cheese'…and immediately spit it out. Bleh. Whatever that stuff is it's definitely not cheese. It makes me almost afraid to try the 'bread'.

The guard snickers. Ah, so the fool thought it would be amusing to poison me?

I throw the 'food' back onto the tray and kick it away. It skids across the stone with enough force to cause the guard to yelp when it crashed into his boots. Pathetic.

'This is disgusting.' I say. 'Isn't a prisoner's last meal something of their choice?'

'Y-you are in n-no position to m-make any d-d-demands!' He squeaks. I can practically smell the fear rolling off him yet he still tries to assert control. How cute.

'Poor Mr. Guard, is little old me scaring you?' He's backing away now, small footsteps towards the entrance. 'I'm _so_ sorry about that but you see, it's been so long since I've had anything decent to eat…'

'St-stay away from me!' Fool, have you forgotten I'm chained to a wall?

'I bet you would be tasty. Do you think I could take a bite, Mr. Guard?'

The guard flees my cell, slamming the door and running back into the light as fast as his clunky boots can carry him. Good. He still remembers who's the hunter and who's the prey.

Sometime later the sound of a key slitting into a lock once again greets my ears. It could have been a couple of minutes after my last meal, or maybe even a couple of months. Who knows? Time is blurred in the dark. Everything is fluid while waiting for death.

There are two people there. One is the guard with his heavy boots and false bravado while the other one is…

 _Oh._

My lips twitch upwards and I look directly where I know my visitor is standing. 'Birdie-boy! What a pleasant surprise. How's life been?'

'Shut it bastard.' He growls. Ah yes. He's always been the more fun to rile up, so easily too.

'What? Don't like the sound of my voice?' I can practically see his face contort in anger despite the lack of visibility. The guard probably sensed the raw rage and backs away, his footsteps still heavy and clunky. 'Your sister said it was quite melodic, said it sounded a lot… like…'

I draw out my taunts, expecting him to lunge at me, but he doesn't. Instead there's a click and a stream of light assaults my face.

I howl at the sudden departure of darkness, at the burning of my eyes.

'Tch, you're nothing to fear.' He says, so smug and self-righteous.

'So you claim…' I pant. He doesn't turn the flashlight off but my eyes refuse to adjust to the light. They never have and never will.

I manage to turn my pants into curt chuckles. If he thinks bringing this monster to light makes it any less scary, then he's _wrong._

'Where is she?' he demands, directing the light at my face.

I wonder what he sees, what I look like. Ragged prison clothes would never be as stunning as my old purple robes. The food here is terrible. My cheeks have probably hollowed out by now. Maybe it has been long enough for my skin to cling to bone.

Vulnerable.

Weak.

Powerless.

And in _perfect control._

So I smile up at him, a gentle quirk of lips with a soft innocence. I know exactly who he sees with that smile: the damn reflection that dear mother chose to keep over me.

'She's perfectly safe.' I say in a faint raspy voice. Just like how the reflection used to speak, before his speech devolved into cries of pain and pitiful whimpers. 'Untouchable. Nothing will ever hurt her again, not a single thing will.'

There's a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes. He's not seeing at me anymore. The fool takes a step closer, begging for more information. The hand around the flashlight loosens.

I smirk and strike at him. The chains rattle and stretch but they can't hold me back. He's already within my range.

I knock the flashlight out of his hand. The bulb shatters and darkness, sweet sweet darkness, returns.

I grab his arm and pull him down to my level. 'She was quite delicious.' I whisper into his ear then I take a large bite and rip it off.

There is another click and the entire cell floods with light.

 _No! Too soon!_

 _Don't take the darkness away!_

Someone restrains me from behind and pushes me to the ground

Through blotchy vision I see the heavy-footed guard leads birdie-boy away. Blood is streaming from the left side of his head and the floor is dyed red.

I smirk. He's never going to forget me. Even when the memory of his sister and the reflection fade away, he'll always have a reminder of me.

And despite the burning light and the weakness of my flesh, I laugh.


	11. Kiddies

Because of Memories Forgotten

Summary: Manga!verse AU. Yuzu was five when she first met the Sakaki boys or… boy, depending how you look at it.

Based on the prompts made by guest Martyn.

I've wanted to play with the "four Yus, one body" idea and this was a fun way of doing it. This was written before we got the manga chapter that Yuya and Reij are from the future.

{~~~}

Yuzu was five when she first met Yuya-Yuto-Yugo-Yuri.

…well technically she only met Yuto then.

It was when her dad wanted to open up his own duel school.

"It'll be great, Yuzu!" He said. "We'll introduce a new generation to our hot-blooded entertainment duel!"

Yuzu was five but she knew this was a bad idea. "You're no good with numbers." She said. "The bank letters are always red and that means no good, right?"

He deflated but he quickly bounced back. "That is true…but I won't let such a little thing such as finances stop me!" Her dad had set his mind set on a goal, nothing could stop him.

So her dad had called a friend, his best friend he claimed. Her dad's friend, Yusho Sakaki, was a travelling performer who married the leader of a duel gang. Yuzu thought it was weird and so did her dad but that was the power of love. She decided then and there that she was never falling in love.

When Uncle Yusho and Auntie Yoko came, they brought their boys…or they said they brought boys. Yuzu only saw one.

"We're Yuya-Yuto-Yugo-Yuri." He said. "I'm Yuto."

Yuzu was confused. "Is Yuya-Yuto-Yugo-Yuri you're full name but you just like Yuto?" She asked. Maybe he was like Noboru Gongenzaka who only liked to be called Gong.

He shot her a pained look, as if he didn't want to say any more but he tried to explain anyway. "We, as in all of us, are Yuya-Yuto-Yugo-Yuri. I am Yuto."

"That makes no sense. You can't use 'we' when there's only one of you."

"Ah…that's-" Yuto scratched his head, trying to find better words. There were only so many words he could have known. "There is four of me. We are one but one is many. Like-like…like a jar of pickles. Or a deck. Lots of things that are still one thing."

"I don't get it." And Yuzu thought it wasn't important if she didn't get it. Yuto was only four and four-year-olds have crazy logic.

Yuzu didn't have crazy logic. She was five and she had proper adult logic, how else was she going to help her dad sort out the red bank letters?

Yuto would grow out of it when he turned five too.

{~~~}

As time went by, Yuzu grew to like Yuto. He was quiet but he was always listening, even if he didn't get what was being said.

While the adults talked about the duel school and other things, Yuzu and Yuto also talked about the duel school and other things too. They were going to help make the school work after all.

It was a sunny day and the two of them were sitting under a tree in front of her house. They had books, some filled with colorful pictures while others had more words and smaller writing. Yuto was as good at reading as Yuzu was at numbers.

"We think the idea's okay but I also think that the idea is stupid." Yuto said. "Entertainment dueling is something that you make. Someone can help you but it won't be your entertainment duel if you copy someone else."

"Where did you come up with that?" So Yuto did have some adult logic, but his we's and I's were still confusing.

His eyes darkened and he shoved his nose deeper into his book. "A kid on the street." The boy grumbled. "He said our dueling was fake, that we weren't speaking properly."

Yuzu giggled. "Now that's silly! How do you speak with dueling?"

"Exactly! That's what we said too."

Yuzu's eyes drift to the window, where she could see his parents and her dad laughing over something. Maybe it was a funny story; her dad always had lots of stories to tell.

"Do you ever miss home? You've been here for…" She started counting off the weeks on her fingers. "You've been here for three weeks, that's nearly a month. Don't you get homesick?"

"Home?" He said, puzzled. "We never left home. Home is right here."

"So do you live nearby?" But she had never seen the Sakaki's leave, like this was all a big sleepover.

"House? Oh…oh!" And he started laughing, shoving his head into his book to muffle the sound.

"What's so funny?" Yuzu huffed.

He heaved as the last couple laughs escaped him. That was rude, laughing when she hadn't told a joke. "I'm sorry, it's just that…you thought a house was a home."

"But that's what a house is, right? A place to call home." Talking to Yuto always led to confusing things.

"But if you didn't have a house but you still had you're dad, you'd still have a 'home' wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess that does make sense…"

Yuto closed his book and looked up at the sky. "We don't have a house but we do have each other and mom and dad. That's what makes up our home." He turned to her with a bright smile painted on his face. For a moment, Yuzu thought he could have been a different person.

"You have crazy logic." Yuzu said. "I hope you grow out of it."

Yuto wasn't offended but he laughed again, this time quieter and softer. "It's traveler's logic." He said. "You'd get it too if you were always traveling."

{~~~}

If there was one Yuzu loved about the Sakaki's staying with them, it was Auntie Yoko's pancakes.

Every morning, the smell of Auntie's cooking floated through the house and worked better at waking everyone up than any alarm clock ever did. The first time Yuzu stumbled into the kitchen and saw the piles upon piles of pancakes, she wasn't sure how the five of them could finish all of it. It would take days of eating nothing but pancakes breakfast, lunch and dinner to finish it all.

But then Yuto stumbled down the stairs and, as quickly as were made, the pancakes were scarfed down by a single boy.

Yuzu was caught somewhere between shock, amazement and disgust as she watched Yuto level the pancake mountains. He also had a weird way of eating too. First he ate cautiously, savoring each bite, then he would eat normally, occasionally playing around with syrup soaked slices every once in a while, then he would pick up a knife and fork and eat all prime and proper, like he was in a fancy restaurant, but then he would start shoveling food like the pancakes were going to run away from him before going back to eating slowly.

It was off putting but the adults didn't say anything about it. His mom and dad were probably used to it and Yuto was already finished by the time her dad came down for breakfast so he never saw him eat.

"You should stop eating so much." She said as the boy tipped the remains of his plate into his mouth. "Anyone who eats like that every day is going to get super fat."

He glanced at her and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Good thing we ain't an anyone." He said. "We're an any-four so we've got to eat that much. Being four takes up a lot've energy. "

She wacked him over the head (but she didn't hit him too hard because Auntie Yoko was just around the corner). "That makes no sense, Yuto." So much for thinking that he was getting adult logic.

"It make's perfect sense." He retorted, rubbing his scalp. "And I ain't that gloomy guy, I'm Yugo!"

What?

The boy pushed his plate aside and let out a small burp. "Now that hit the spot!" He said, leaning back into his chair and patting his belly.

Yuzu didn't know why Yuto was calling himself Yugo now but he was being loud and ob-no-ious, just like the other boys at school. She wanted him to turn back into Yuto.

Auntie Yoko had disappeared upstairs to wake up Dad and Uncle Yusho so Yuzu took the chance to give Yugo a solid whack on the head.

"Oi! What was that for?"

"I'm knocking the fat out of you!" It was crazy logic but maybe it would bring Yuto back. "I don't want you to turn into a giant pancake blob."

Yugo's eyes brightened. "That's a great idea! And…hey! No, it's not stupid! But don't…Yuzu hit me again! Don't believe what the others say!"

Yuzu was surprised that he actually believed her between…arguing with himself? She knew hitting someone on the head couldn't make fat go away but it could make crazy go away.

So she grabbed her fan and whacked him again.

"Hey! Not so hard!"

Or maybe she was making him more crazy.

{~~~}

Yuto came back.

It wasn't anything big or stunning like in the movies when characters swap personalities and names. The Sakaki boy just walked down the stairs one morning and said, "I'm Yuto today."

"What happened to Yugo?"

"Getting a scolding from Yuri for being an idiot." He said. "You'll see him again but now it's my turn." He rubbed the back of his head where she had been hitting Yugo for the past couple days. "You hit really hard. We all felt it."

"Ah…sorry…" She really was. Maybe Yuzu didn't like Yugo at first but he became her friend, a different kind of friend to Yuto but still a friend. "But…who's Yuri?"

Yuto shivered like someone dropped ice down his shirt. "You don't want to know."

So she left it at that.

{~~~}

Yuto and Yugo looked exactly the same but personality wise they couldn't be more different.

Yuto was quiet. Yugo was loud.

Yuto liked the colour black. Yugo liked the colour white.

Yuto was good at hiding. Yugo was good at finding.

There was no way for Yuzu to confuse the two and it was easy, it was just two.

But then two became three.

And Yuzu met Yuri.

It was during a game of "find the most coolest thing". Yugo always won when she played with him, finding thing that she didn't even think could be found like a nest of baby pigeons looked after by a crow or a banana peel that had blueberries inside of it. Against Yuto though, she had a better chance of winning.

And Yuzu was certain she won this time.

It was small and had been hidden underneath bigger shrubs. If her bracelet hadn't slipped off and rolled away, she would have never found it. It was a broken training wheel half buried in the dirt. Around it, two different plants had grown entwined in its axel. One was dark and thorny while the other was bright green with pretty leaves that had jagged edges.

Carefully, she dug the wheel out of the ground and held it by the green leaves to avoid the thorns.

Yuto was already there waiting for her at the front of her house.

"I found this rock." He said holding out a smooth pale stone with several darker splotches. "It looked like someone cried on it."

"That's pretty." She said, peering over the rock. There were splotches of a lighter shade over the main stone grey. "But take a look at what I found!"

Yuzu revealed the vine-covered wheel from behind her back, making sure she didn't knock the thorns into her friend. Yuto didn't say anything, though. His eyes widened almost comically and then he…changed. His eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted into something akin to a scowl. This wasn't Yuto or Yugo.

The boy slapped the wheel out of her hands, scratching her fingers in the process.

"Hey! What-"

"Stupid girl, that was poison ivy." His voice was higher pitch yet crueler, carrying a sort of arrogance of a spoilt brat.

Yuzu looked down at her hands which, apart from the scratches from not-Yuto-or-Yugo, were covered in red splotchy rashes.

"Eek!"

{~~~}

The Sakaki boy alternated between Yuto, Yugo and Yuri; between the calm, the reckless and the cruel. It was confusing with the addition of a third persona but Yuzu got used to it eventually. It was proof that her adult logic would overcome the childish craziness…or she was slowly going crazy herself.

Even though she had only met three of them, Yuzu knew there was a forth one. Yuya-Yuto-Yugo-Yuri was how the Sakaki boy had introduced himself, themselves. It was only a matter of time before she met Yuya.

But he never appeared.

Sure, there were times when it looked like someone else other than Yuto, Yugo or Yuri was in control, like when they pretended they were part of a circus or watching Dad and Uncle Yusho duel. He would have more grace than Yugo, more enthusiasm than Yuto, more kindness than Yuri and the brightest eyes Yuzu had ever seen. But it was only ever for a moment. The only reason she had caught on was because it happened so frequently. Plus, there were the little comments…

"Yuya would love these hippos!" Yugo said when they visited the zoo.

"That's more of a Yuya thing." Yuri said, eyeing the trapeze hanging from the roof.

"Yuya would know what to do…" Yuto said when they got lost and was on the brink of tears.

Soon, four months had passed and it was time for the Sakaki's to go. Uncle Yusho had helped establish a base and a reputation for the budding duel school so now it was up to Yuzu and her dad to keep it afloat.

"I'm going to miss you." Yuzu said, giving the Sakaki boy a hug.

"Me too." The boy said, but in a tone she had never heard before. Firmer than Yuto's, higher than Yuri's and brighter than Yugo's.

She pulled away and stared at the boy, a wide grin across his face and up to his eyes despite tears falling.

"Yuya?"

"Goodbye Yuzu."

And the Sakaki boy, the boys Yuto, Yugo, Yuri and Yuya, was gone.

{~~~}

Memories are fickle things.

One might think that something could be recorded, retained and remembered especially if it was particularly odd or different. Yuzu certainly thought so. The Sakaki boy that was actually four should have been something unforgettable. Yuto was calm and always attentive. Yugo was wild and filled with energy. Yuri was cruel but not completely heartless. Yuya…Yuya was a smile that never faded. A persons like that seems like something that world never be forgotten.

But how clear are your memories from when you were five?

The world constantly bombards us with new information every day, hour, minute, second. There is only so much it can be hold.

The years tumbled forward and memories of four months spent with a quirky boy with a quadruple personality were soon overwritten by worries about finance and school.

When these two met again, there was no recognition. Not that they were ignoring each other but there were more pressing matters at hand. The boy's memories were muddled and full of holes with a bounty on his head and hunters on his tail. Yuzu only saw the persona of Phantom, a mysterious entertainer that was sure to pull the her dad's school out of the red, her memories of the Sakaki boy long forgotten.

But not all was forgotten.

"Hm? Is that girl…?"

"Yuya's memories are confused, so he hasn't noticed."

"But how can this be?"

They were still there but it wasn't the time or place.

But soon.

{~~~}

Hey, do you guys remember the 'Not Beyond Space and Time' oneshot I've been planning where the Yu-boys replace the previous protagonists? There's actually too much stuff to cram into a single chapter so it's going to become a series (that I can hopefully finish). I've posted some stuff on AO3 under the series 'Arc V Protagonist Replacement AU' but I'll also be cross-posting her on FFN. The first story is 'Dark from the Beginning' and will be posted as a crossover. Thank you for reading and don't forget to smile!


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